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Dr.L.W dE LAURENCE 



d E LAURENCE,SCOTT ^COMPANY 

CHICAGO, ILLS .U. S. A. 




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COPYRIGHT, 1914 


BY 


de LAURENCE, SCOTT & CO. 


SPECIAL NOTICE 


The illustrations, cover design and contents of 
thisj book are protected by Copyright, and must not 
he reproduced or copied without written permission 
from the Publishers. Disregard of this warning will 
subject the offender to the penalty provided by la<w. 


IMPORTANT NOTICE 


This book is protected by Copright, and simul¬ 
taneous initial publications in United States of America, 
Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, India, China 
and other countries. All rights reserved. 


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DEC 24 1914 



'H-C / 







UtearhpH 














®1jp master 2Cry 

By L. W. de LAURENCE 

utearlifB 

Bainttifir (Emtmttratimi 

MIND TRAINING. WILL CULTURE. 
THOUGHT - CONTROL. MENTAL DISCI¬ 
PLINE. ATTENTION. OBSERVATION. 
MEMORY. THINKING. PUBLIC SPEAK¬ 
ING. CONVERSATION. READING. IMAGI¬ 
NATION. THE CULTIVATION OF THE 
SENSES. CONTROL OVER MIND AND 
BODY. CONTROL OVER THE ACT OF 
BREATHING. CONTROL OVER BAD HAB¬ 
ITS. WILL-POWER IN ALL ITS TYPES 
AND MANIFESTATIONS. THOUGHT - CON¬ 
TROL (IN PUBLIC PERFORMANCES, SUCH 
AS SPEAKING, SINGING, PLAYING) 
SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS. PERSONAL MAG¬ 
NETISM. TO DEVELOP A STRONG PER¬ 
SONALITY. TO ACQUIRE POISE AND DIS¬ 
TINCTION. RATIONAL AND MORAL 
EDUCATION ETHICALLY DIRECTED. IN¬ 
DIVIDUAL MENTAL EFFICIENCY. THE 
PSYCHOLOGY OF FAITH AND DOUBT. 
CONCENTRATION APPLIED TO HEALTH 
AND DISEASE. CONCENTRATION AP¬ 
PLIED TO FEAR AND DISEASE. EXPECT¬ 
ANCY AND ATTENTION. CONCENTRATION 
DURING THE PERIOD OF GESTATION. 
THE SECRET OF ABUNDANCE. THE 
POVERTY CURE. THE ART OF GETTING 
RICH. 1 1 OPPORTUNITY ’ ’ IN A NEW 
LIGHT. REAPING AND SOWING. 






























































































































Wfyat ®lje Master Key 
(Emttaina 

HE MASTER KEY is 
divided into Six Parts: 
contains Thirty-seven 
full Chapters embracing 
Thirty-five Lesions of graduated 
difficulty covering Forty individual 
numbered Exercises in which the 
fundamental principles, and the 
various aspects of Co?icentration 
and Mental Discipline are fully 
explained. 

"®lj£ Mmttr 

It contains abundant material for 
the student, material which will 
last him a long time, and thus 
keep his interest in the subject of 
Concentration keen and progressive. 






Prrfart in tiff &«oni> fHbtttmt 

Concentration and Mental Discipline. 

N no branch of human knowledge has there been 
a more lively increase of the spirit of research 
during the past few years than in the study of 
Psychology, Concentration and Mental Discipline. 
Many points of “mental doctrine” have been pass¬ 
ing afresh through the crucible; plain instruction is a popular 
cry, and, in some directions, a real requirement of the age; 
the requests for authentic lessons in Thought Control, Mental 
Discipline and Concentration have never before been so great 
as in recent years. 

C| Students seeking knowledge in this field have advanced 
with the fuller possibilities provided by the constant addition 
of reliable teachings and more data for comparative study. 
Thousands of students of Concentration have received the 
reward of diligent, skillful and devoted study. 

IJ Scholars in Psychology and Mental Discipline have spe¬ 
cialized to so great an extent that many conclusions are less 
speculative than they were, while many more are thus avail¬ 
able for arriving at a general judgment; and, in some direc¬ 
tions at least, the time for drawing such conclusions, and so 
making practical use of such specialized research seems to have 
come, or to be close at hand. 

IJ Many people, therefore, including the large mass of men 
and women employed in the many avenues of commercial 
life, as well as those suffering from mental maladies and bad 
mental habits, desire to have in an accessible form instruc¬ 
tion that would throw a flood of light on these heretofore 
supposed esoteric studies that are of living and vital interest 
to the faith; and at the same time, “practical” questions by 
which is really denoted the application of “faith in one’s self” 
to life and to the needs of the day. 

If It thus seems an appropriate time for the issue of a treatise, 
which shall aim at presenting a general study for the student 
of the present application of Concentration in various branches 
of the wide field which is included in the study of Psychology 
and Mental Habits. 







X 


PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION 


Cfl This volume is designed to supply such work, and seems 
to be well liked by men of known reputation as thinkers and 
scholars, teachers and divines, who are, one and all, firm 
upholders of the law of Concentration, Faith and Mental 
Discipline. 

€J It is an indisputable fact that about every scrap of in¬ 
formation or instruction given out personally, by books or by 
the circulation of literature by schools of mental science have 
declared as the foundation of its success its association with 
some supernatural power, cult or creed—proclaiming that the 
student’s success was entirely dependent upon his acceptance 
of some particular mystical doctrine or belief. 

The author desires it to be distinctly understood that the 
Lessons, contained herein, have no conclusions of this nature; 
neither has he any connection with any creed or person who 
expresses these peculiar views, as he never felt that it came 
within the scope of an author’s work, in a book of this kind, 
to interfere with the personal views of the student regarding 
religion, creed or cult. 

€][ Shades of opinion and differences of judgment must exist, 
if thought is not to be at a standstill—petrified into an unpro¬ 
ductive fossil; but while neither the author nor all of his 
readers can be expected to agree with every point of view in 
the details of the discussions in all the various books published 
on the subject of New Thought, Christian Science, Magnetism 
and divers “isms” and “mental fads,” he is convinced that the 
principles, so conservatively enunciated in this Volume, are 
such as must conduce to the strengthening of the student’s 
“Concentration,” and “faith in himself,” as these are essential 
requisites in every avenue of human endeavor. 

The object of this work is to provide an introduction to 
the study of “thought” as it has developed itself within the 
confines of the Practical Psychology. Interest in Concentra¬ 
tion, Mind, Mental Discipline, the intelligent treatment and 
moral management of Mental Maladies, has in recent times 
become so pronounced and widespread that it is hoped that, 
even amongst the various and excellent works which have 
appeared in response to that interest, room may perhaps be 
found for an attempt to present the subject in its logical 
sequence, and in such a form as may best meet the wants of 
the interested student. 


Dr. L. W. de Laurence. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER I. page 

Introduction—Mental Equilibrium . i 

PART ONE. 

CHAPTER II. LESSON ONE. 

Logical Thinking and Ethical Order .n 

CHAPTER III. LESSON TWO. 

The Hurry Habit . 2 o 

CHAPTER IV. LESSON THREE. 

/ Doubt Bars the Way.. 24 

CHAPTER V. LESSON FOUR. 

The Great Gospel of Optimism.28 

CHAPTER VI. LESSON FIVE. 

The Abolition of Worry. The Acquisition of 

Serenity and Mind Power.37 

CHAPTER VII. LESSON SIX. 

Self-Control and Self-Reliance. Motive Creates 

Interest.43 

CHAPTER VIII. LESSON SEVEN. 

The Psychological Moment.51 

CHAPTER IX. LESSON EIGHT. 

Unconscious Concentration.55 

CHAPTER X. LESSON NINE. 

r Metaphysical Alchemy.60 

CHAPTER XI. LESSON TEN. 

The Claiming of Your Own.68 

PART TWO. 

CHAPTER XII. INTRODUCTORY TO PART TWO. 

Scientific Concentration, Attention and Mental 

Discipline.74 

CHAPTER XIII. LESSON ELEVEN. 

Scientific Concentration, Attention and Mental 

Discipline.77 


xi 












xii 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

CHAPTER XIV. LESSON TWELVE. 

Scientific Concentration, Attention and Mental 

Discipline.90 

CHAPTER XV. LESSON THIRTEEN. 

Scientific Concentration, Attention and Mental 

Discipline.101 

CHAPTER XVI. LESSON FOURTEEN. 

Scientific Concentration, Attention and Mental 

Discipline. hi 

PART THREE. 

CHAPTER XVII. LESSON FIFTEEN. 
Attention. Voluntary Attention. Non-Volun¬ 
tary Attention.124 

CHAPTER XVIII. LESSON SIXTEEN. 

Observation.!^ 2 

CHAPTER XIX. LESSON SEVENTEEN. 

Interest. Interest and Its Meaning.146 

CHAPTER XX. LESSON EIGHTEEN. 

What Thought-Control Can Do for You . . . 151 

CHAPTER XXI. LESSON NINETEEN. 

Thought-Control. Thought-Control in Public . 166 

CHAPTER XXII. LESSON TWENTY. 

Habit. Fixed Habits, Good Habits, Bad Habits . 176 

PART FOUR. 

CHAPTER XXIII. LESSON TWENTY-ONE. 

Will Culture—Mind Training. 181 

CHAPTER XXIV. LESSON TWENTY-TWO. 

Education of the Will. jg 2 

CHAPTER XXV. LESSON TWENTY-THREE. 
Memory. Good and Bad Memories. 210 









CONTENTS xiii 

PAGE 

CHAPTER XXVI. LESSON TWENTY-FOUR. 

Cultivation of Memory.233 

CHAPTER XXVII. LESSON TWENTY-FIVE. 

Personal Magnetism Obtained by Concentration . 244 

PART FIVE. 

CHAPTER XXVIII. LESSON TWENTY-SIX. 

The Art of Public Speaking. Concentration 

Applied to Speech-Making.251 

CHAPTER XXIX. LESSON TWENTY-SEVEN. 

Concentration Used in Composing a Public Speech 264 

CHAPTER XXX. LESSON TWENTY-EIGHT. 

After-Dinner Speech. Personality of the 

Speaker.273 

CHAPTER XXXI. LESSON TWENTY-NINE. 
Rational and Moral Education Ethically Di¬ 
rected by Concentration.306 

CHAPTER XXXII. LESSON THIRTY. 

Individual Mental Efficiency.326 

PART SIX 

CHAPTER XXXIII. LESSON THIRTY-ONE. 

Concentration Applied to Health and Disease. 

The Psychology of Faith and Doubt . . . 335 

CHAPTER XXXIV. LESSON THIRTY-TWO. 
Concentration Applied to Fear and Disease. Ex¬ 
pectancy and Attention.347 

CHAPTER XXXV. LESSON THIRTY-THREE. 

Concentration Applied During the Period of 

Gestation .353 

CHAPTER XXXVI. LESSON THIRTY-FOUR. 

The Secret of Abundance. The Poverty Cure . 357 

CHAPTER XXXVII. LESSON THIRTY-FIVE. 

The Art of Getting Rich. Opportunity in a New 

Light. Reaping and Sowing.369 











A HIGH-GRADE SYSTEM OF 

iWittii draining 


FOR PROFESSIONAL MEN 

BUSINESS MEN AND BUSINESS WOMEN 

r I 1 HE MASTER KEY, by Dr. de Laurence, teaches “Scien- 
A tific Concentration ” and is the only High-Grade Course 
on Mind-Training in existence. 

It is sound, scientific, authoritative, practical, and is right 
now being studied by thousands of people in all walks of life 
in every part of the civilized world. 

Scientific Concentration and Mind-Training, as taught 
herein, aims at the unfolding of one’s individuality to the 
full. It makes Intellectually, Emotionally, Volitionally well- 
balanced men and women. 

fC Scientific Concentration” is the finest drill for the devel¬ 
opment of mental discipline you can undertake. It gives you 
control over distraction and worry; a cultivated power of inhi¬ 
bition, mental poise, decision of character, and a quiet sense of 
power. 

The Master Key gives you a complete Memory Training, 
and shows you how to cultivate to the full your powers of 
Attention and Observation. 

It shows you how to work or study with the minimum of 
fatigue, and teaches you how to think on original lines, and 
how to speak well ( especially in public). You are safe in 
studying “ Scientific Concentration” as taught in this book. 
Eminent men and women commend it. 

Here is a book that teaches how to concentrate on thor¬ 
oughly common-sense, practical, and strictly scientific lines. 
It really gives you a splendid all-round mental training —one 
that will be eminently useful in any department of life, as a 
close perusal of its contents will show. 

THE PUBLISHERS. 


xiv 



®1}? faster Ifcg 

CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTION. 

MENTAL EQUILIBRIUM. 

Thought, our manner of thinking and self-control, or men¬ 
tal discipline are important factors in life’s achievements. On 
these depend our power of concentration and the mental equilib¬ 
rium that must be maintained by those who wish to advance. 
It lies within the earnest student to create a world of thought 
wherein he may weather with calm fortitude the storms of 
mental life, for disappointment and sorrow pass no one by, 
and suffering is the loom in which character is made. 

Mind can be so powerful a defensive arm in the battle of 
earthly existence, that, in behalf of his interests and welfare, 
the student should learn to measure its force, understand its 
almost limitless power, and educate himself to employ it 
judiciously. The student must learn to appreciate at its true • 
value this force, given to him that he may be able to meet and 
conquer, not only exterior difficulties, but even greater and 
more subtle enemies from within. 

Thought is a product of the mind, a mental vibration, and 
therefore, a force which penetrates even into the physical body 
and worldly affairs of mankind. 

It is thought that slowly and unerringly builds up or tears 
down the whole moral fabric of our being. Consciously or 
unconsciously it acts upon everyone with whom you have near 
or remote contact. The great discoveries of science, the mechan¬ 
ical inventions, the master-pieces in music and art; all these, 
being achievements due to the patient and tireless efforts of the 
intellect, are but the results of concentrated thought. 

If your thinking is inspired by high ideals, nourished by the 
practice of virtue and honesty, and is submissive to a will that 


2 


THE MASTER KEY 


sincerely directs it to its highest end, it will achieve moral, in¬ 
tellectual, and even material results of a positive character, as 
surely as sound seed planted in good soil will blossom and bear 
fruit following the natural law of its growth. Through the 
same certain process do evil results follow upon evil and sordid 
lines of thought, and hence the employment of this faculty for 
unworthy ends in any circumstances is a disintegrating action, 
morally disastrous to the individual, even though the material 
or intellectual aim has been accomplished. 

Thought is a creative force—a fact that the student must 
always bear in mind. Every thought, be it good or evil, creates 
corresponding conditions. There is, however, a species of men¬ 
tal activity—if I may call it activity at all—which is akin to the 
flapping of canvas in the ill-trimmed sails of a vessel. It occu¬ 
pies some to the extent that they fancy they are thinking, but in 
reality they are floating aimlessly on the tide. Unless thought 
be employed for specific accomplishment, and guided and con¬ 
trolled by the will, it follows the line of least resistance and 
spends itself in idle dreaming. This dissipation of a great force 
weakens our mental and moral, and even our physical, faculties. 
It is in no wise different from the atrophy that follows upon 
non-use of our muscles in the work for which they were 
designed. 

If we can say that any faculty of the human compound is 
more important than the faculty of thought—that one must be 
the will. It is the Divine part of man. Our most elementary 
concept of a successful man or woman is the concept of a com¬ 
pelling force—a great urging towards a result—and this is 
will, and everyone of us possesses in a greater or less degree 
this faculty as an essential constituent of our individuality. 

If we are to seek peace and moral strength in the highways 
of achievement the will must focus on worthy aims—our end 
must be work well done rather than selfish advancement for its 
own sake. When the human will is directed by truth, honesty 
and confidence, man is guided and directed by an unerring vision 
of right, and even though failure should await his efforts, his 
whole moral nature has been strengthened by disinterested en¬ 
deavor, and the way is prepared for some greater achievement 
with more telling results. 

Reason is the mentor of the will—thoughts are its work¬ 
men. Reason plans the spiritual or material edifice; will is the 
foreman who controls and directs, keeping order and industry 


MENTAL EQUILIBRIUM 3 

in the ranks of the workmen until the structure is complete. 
Thoughts, in other words, must be absolutely controlled by the 
will and directed by it into proper channels. 

With the larger part of humanity, thoughts, like wayward, 
spoiled children, run hither and thither, seeking distraction and 
! fair fields where no mental effort is required. The moment 
concentration is demanded—and this is speaking generally— 
they rebel, scamper off, and only a firm will can bring them 
back. At first they sulk; the mind remains inactive, and all 
that has been gained apparently is a restless obedience on their 
part and a certain moral and mental strength, the result of per¬ 
sistent effort. But as thought was created subject to will, re¬ 
peated and persistent effort on the part of this faculty reduces 
thought to docile and absolute obedience. 

When you accomplish this, anarchy has been uprooted in 
the mental kingdom; a sensation of peace and strength is ex¬ 
perienced in the re-establishment of order under the reign of 
reason and will. Infinite patience and untiring perseverance 
are important factors in the accomplishment of this result. 
The student of psychology and mental discipline must have no 
illusions concerning the arduous task that lies before him, and 
he must bring to it, not only courage and the determination to 
conquer, but a vigilance that never sleeps. 

Few of today sufficiently realize the power of a thought; 
its danger and its creative potency. The minds of average hu¬ 
man beings run riot. The majority of people even in this era 
of psychology and mental culture take little thought of what 
and how they think. 

Actions are regarded to be the prime objects of considera¬ 
tion in their relation to the established order of things—they 
are learning only now, that if they would influence their actions 
with unquestioned certainty, they must cultivate the field in 
which their actions spring up and grow into actualities—and 
this field is the field of thought. 

Many believe because their thoughts are their own and un¬ 
known to others, they imagine they can harbor all sorts of un¬ 
worthy sentiments and feelings so long as they do not actually 
allow these feelings to betray themselves in corresponding ac¬ 
tions. They do not realize that^very bad mental habit in¬ 
dulged in against precept of perfection, not only inclines them 
to the act, but it lowers the ideal, and weakens their moral 
nature and power of resistance. / 


4 


THE MASTER KEY 


The Catholic Church recognizes how effective is thought 
in producing conditions since she requires her children to con¬ 
fess their sins of thought, and imposes penance for any de¬ 
liberate evil intention, even though the act was never com¬ 
mitted. 

It follows, then, that our true worth or unworthiness lies 
in our manner of thinking, no matter how seemingly just or 
unjust we may outwardly appear. In the fortress of the mind 
alone is peace or unrest to be found, and in this the immutable 
law of compensation is made manifest, j 

The man who possesses all that life has to offer, who seems 
calm, prosperous, and upon whom fate apparently smiles, may 
be in a tumult of interior unrest and dissatisfaction. His outer 
life appears well ordered, while inwardly he is unforgiving, 
grasping and self-seeking. The apparently unfortunate being, 
on the contrary, who is generous, honest and distinterested in 
his thoughts, no matter how great may be his suffering, his 
privation, his unhappiness, possesses moral strength and clear¬ 
ness of vision, unknown to his prosperous brother; he has in¬ 
terior mental peace which gives content even in suffering. His 
life is pure at its fountain head—which is his world of thought 
—and this clear limpid stream runs through it in acceptance, 
resignation and the uplifting that comes from perfect harmony 
between his thoughts and his actions. Into such a life the 
whole world can gaze. 

Thoughts are as important, and even more so, than words. 
Many are careful what they say, being fully alive to the disas¬ 
trous or beneficent consequences of speech. It is equally im¬ 
portant, therefore, to realize that although subtle and invisible 
in their efforts, thoughts are more potent than words. Words 
can be so empty, so feeble, while thought is always vital. We 
can say things we neither think nor mean, and such words 
carry no weight, but we must think things to feel them. There¬ 
fore the results of wrong thinking are much more harmful to 
the individual than anything he can say. They also pass on to 
others, in that subtle emanation which we call moral atmos¬ 
phere, as a strengthening or disturbing influence, sometimes 
vaguely felt, sometimes imperceptible, but at all times positively 
active. 

We must guard our thinking with the same circumspection 
we apply to speech, and could we realize this fact; and think as 
discreetly as we choose our words, believing it to be of equal 


MENTAL EQUILIBRIUM 5 

importance, we would greatly simplify the task of thought con¬ 
trol. There would be fewer regrets and anxious moments in 
life. A realization of what thought can accomplish will bend 
our energies toward learning how to employ this force, in 
order to attain the results they were meant to accomplish when 
properly controlled. 

The discipline of the mind is hard and painful work, but its 
conquest more than compensates for the mental stress and earn¬ 
estness it costs. Until mental control has restored order in the 
mind the thoughts that one would deny entrance to, struggle, 
clamor and batter on the door of the mind; while the thoughts 
that right reason urges one to entertain strain at the leash, 
seeking freedom to run where they will and give place to the 
discordant, idle brood that claim their habitual abiding-place. 

The peculiar feature of this chaotic mental condition is that 
thought only becomes refractory when commanded. When 
free to sweep across the mind at will and according to mood, 
its strength is not perceived. If your thoughts be gloomy, un¬ 
kind or bitter, the natural result is depression and bad temper. 
Should this mood persist, these discordant thoughts dwell peace¬ 
fully and unmolested in the mind. Here you have a vicious 
circle—indulgence in discordant thoughts producing the mood; 
indulgence in the mood keeping the mind filled with these weak¬ 
ening and depressing thoughts. 

Never lose sight of the fact that what you fear you attract. 
What you hope for and believe in you create; for mind is mag¬ 
netic and attracts to itself whatever it frequently thinks about. 
It is fatal ever to parley with a thought one does not wish to 
entertain. Instantly it must be replaced by a concept, good 
and encouraging. Should the mind be filled with fear and 
dread—usually unfounded—of some impending danger, the 
picture should be reversed instantly, the mind forming an image 
of a happy successful issue to the situation. Even should the 
trend of your thinking be strongly and persistently in an evil 
vein, its seeming strength is fictitious and yields before a reso¬ 
lute act of the will. Here I am speaking not only of normal but 
undisciplined minds. Those suffering from neurasthenia, a 
disease in which the will is attacked, have neither the mental 
not the moral force to expel fixed ideas, which are one of the 
symptoms of the. malady.* Those same neurasthenics, how¬ 
ever, can be cured by being taught to watch and control their 


*See Chapter XXXII, Lesson Thirty, Individual Mental Efficiency. 



6 


THE MASTER KEY 


thoughts, practising mental control for one minute at a time at 
first, until to reassert its authority becomes a habit of the mind. 

How common it is to see people worrying about things that 
may never happen, mentally turning over situations that can 
be neither changed nor altered. This mental habit is demoral¬ 
ising to both body and soul, for such indulgence begets irrita¬ 
bility and unrest; it weakens the nerves by the strain this man¬ 
ner of thinking puts upon the whole nervous system. 

It is often necessary to entertain worrying, depressing and 
sad thoughts. Every situation must be looked at bravely and 
squarely if you are to know what strength and resource you 
must bring to bear upon it. You entertain such thoughts de¬ 
liberately with the object of solving the problem, and such 
thinking is a deliberate act of the will. The introspection is 
normal and wholesome, and is accompanied by exterior activi¬ 
ties directed to restoring happiness and peace of mind. 

When sorrow comes, and death robs us of our loved ones, it 
is human and natural to grieve. Nature demands—within 
measure—the outward expression of grief which relieves the 
burdened heart, else sorrow eats within, and undermines the 
whole being. But in this legitimate indulgence in grief, if, 
instead of turning over in our minds the why and wherefore 
of our bereavement, or of dwelling upon the void in our lives, 
we strive manfully to fulfil the simple duties of our station in 
life, fixing the mind upon the task on hand, the mental and 
moral strength acquired through keeping the thoughts where 
the mind and hands are working, would give courage to bravely 
bear afflictions until time lays its healing hand upon our wounds. 
In the words of Joubert, “Dieu a ordonne au temps de con¬ 
soler les Malheur eux.” 

We have all known moments when we were besieged by 
worrying thoughts we really did not wish to entertain. Reason 
told us these thoughts were fruitless and depressing, and we 
knew full well they were demoralizing both to character and 
well-being. Notwithstanding this fact, we allowed these 
thoughts to harass our minds, dislodging them only temporarily 
in seeking some exterior distraction that enabled us to forget 
for the moment. This left them still master of the situation, 
for the distraction was but a weak surrender, not a firm and 
conquering act of will prompted by the realization that such 
thoughts were useless and harmful. The will is the sole, sure 
guardian of the mind, and when will acts in harmony with 


MENTAL EQUILIBRIUM 7 

reason the mind is secure not only against these troublesome 
invaders, but is free to concentrate itself upon what is good, 
productive and useful. Furthermore, our happiness and peace 
of mind would not then be at the mercy of thoughts we do 
not wish to entertain and yet are powerless to banish com¬ 
pletely. 

Each student can prove to his own satisfaction that once 
having accomplished thought control, intellectual and moral 
qualities, and even material conditions, can be created by per¬ 
sistently holding the thought of that which one wishes to 
achieve. 

By your manner of thinking you can entirely change your 
feelings in regard to others, and even help others to correct the 
faults that created your resentful attitude towards them. 

As a student of Concentration and Mental Discipline, you 
must not forget that good is positive and evil is negative, and 
evil, being negative in its nature, should not be dwelt upon. 

/"To correct grave faults of character or disposition the mind 
must fix itself, not conspicuously upon uprooting these faults, 
but upon acquiring the opposite virtues. Should thoughts of 
bitterness and resentment for an injury done occupy the mind, 
it is not always possible to forgive the person simply because 
you believe it is Christian to do so. The mind inclines naturally 
to dwell upon the wrong done and the destestable character of 
the person who has done it. Each time these thoughts are in¬ 
dulged in, even though seemingly justifiable in the eyes of the 
injured party, hatred of the guilty person increases, and you see 
him only in his relation to yourself; all else in his life is ig¬ 
nored, however praiseworthy it may be. Nothing can bring 
about a change of heart save to resolutely dwell upon the one 
or more good qualities of that person or the good actions he 
has done in his life. 

At first the evil inherent in many people rebels at this lenient 
attitude of mind, for their own evil tendencies grow and 
strengthen in thoughts of ill-will. A hard battle must now 
be fought, for your wrongs seem to fill up the whole horizon, 
and the poor sinner’s one redeeming quality appears but a trivial 
thing to consider. If these bitter and disturbing thoughts are 
instantly replaced by good thoughts each time they occur, be it 
one hundred times a day, one hundred times the moral nature 
has been strengthened, the mind disciplined; and when the bat¬ 
tle seems to last beyond your strength to endure, suddenly all 


8 


THE MASTER KEY 


resentment disappears, giving place to feelings of pity and com¬ 
passion towards your enemy. The mollification of your resent¬ 
ment at once relieves the tension in your moral nature, peace 
abides within, and you are once more free: for in yielding to 
evil sentiments you become their slaves. Students of Psy¬ 
chology can make it a habit to see only the good in people, by 
refusing to dwell upon their faults, however glaring they may 
be. If you are to accomplish this, it can be only by instantly 
turning the mind from the> faults of your neighbor to the 
good qualities or virtues he may possess. 

The man who labors to see only what is good in others, 
who remembers only the kind actions done to him, even though 
these kind actions may have been followed by much selfishness, 
neglect and ingratitude, is a man who eliminates from his life 
all mental friction. This must be so because good-will and in¬ 
dulgence towards the weaknesses of others, fill his heart to the 
exclusion of unkind feelings, and a consciousness of his own 
failings, and a determination to correct them, arrests the ten¬ 
dency to criticise and condemn the faults of his neighbor. 

This most desirable condition of soul can be brought about 
by our manner of thinking. Once we realize that the workings 
of the mind are according to psychological laws, we know that 
in learning these laws, and in acting in harmony with them, 
we inevitably arrive at self-control, happiness and interior peace, 
independent of place and condition. 

In order to bring these truths home forcibly to himself the 
student must first realize that thought is creative: that by per¬ 
severing in a certain manner of thinking he can, not only create 
qualities, sentiments and even conditions, but through thought 
he can also transform that which already exists. This being 
the case distressing and morbid thoughts should never be in¬ 
dulged in, save when the situation that begot them must be 
studied with a view to its removal. Should there be no remedy 
for the evil, no exit from the unhappy mental state, then it is 
the height of folly to dwell upon it. Depressing, anxious 
thoughts are powerless to change a situation, they only vitiate 
one’s mental, moral and physical vitality. 

The mind must be turned to the few blessings, or perhaps 
the sole blessing one has; we must see only this blessing, and 
resist bravely the inclination to dwell upon the privations and 
disappointments in our lives. In so doing, the natural result 
is entire acceptance of the unhappy condition, and once accept- 


MENTAL EQUILIBRIUM 9 

ance enters the heart, peace comes with it to dwell within and 
sweeten our lives. Sometimes, in after years, we see the wis¬ 
dom of not having obtained that for which we wept, and for 
which we uselessly cast a shadow over our lives by our grief 
and repining. This should teach us that a ^reat unmutable 
power for right is behind our lives, ordering them to the accom¬ 
plishment of the highest good. This highest good is ever and 
always our own ultimate peace and happiness. 

The creative power of thought resides in every human being 
in like measure, and was given to man to aid him to attain his 
full development and consequent happiness. The degree to 
which it can be taken advantage of depends upon individual 
effort and true faith in one’s self. 

Our moral, intellectual, or material ideal must be chosen 
according to reason; that is, not attempting, save in the moral 
order, to accomplish results beyond our individual talents and 
capacities. We must nourish and strengthen the ideal by per¬ 
sistent thought of it, and persistent thought requires an act of 
the will, a combination which finds us in the harmonious em¬ 
ployment of all our faculties towards a desired end. When 
this end or object is worthy and righteous, the powers of right 
are with the one who strives, and the efforts of men are fruit¬ 
less to frustrate his work. 

In whatever line creation is sought along—circumstances, 
health, mental virility, efficiency, or what not, Concentration, 
Faith, Belief, Realisation and Mental Discipline will be factors 
that are indispensable. Everywhere in nature Concentration 
and Crystallization are necessary to the formation of matter in 
its various forms. It would be almost impossible for water 
to become ice if it were kept in constant motion. If one could 
see the activities of the mind rushing and whirling about first 
in one direction, then in another, they would gain some idea 
of the steadying effect of Mental Discipline. Concentration is 
like the provision of a channel to a quantity of water which is 
running over here and there, in twenty different directions, 
wasting, having no effect, but the placing of a deep channel 
would attract all the water, and its force would be sufficient 
to drive a mill. 

Personal power is the desideratum of most people, for 
without it little headway in any direction can be made. He 
who would possess it must concentrate on it, though to possess 
it means that preparation for it should be made. No force is 


10 


THE MASTER KEY 


worth anything unless it is understood. A cheque for a thou¬ 
sand dollars would be useless to a South Sea islander or a 
native in the heart of a desert, so an influx of power would be 
out of place where a man had not learned the use of that 
power, where he had not created beforehand in himself some 
purpose to which power could be put when it was there. 

Let character come first in all self-development, and there 
is no better way of employing Concentration than by applying 
it to this end; by building day by day a strong, evenly balanced 
character, all development afterwards will be sane. Whatever 
virtue a man would possess let him dwell on it in thought, 
meditating so to speak—not in the morbid sense, but—seeing 
and realizing himself as already the possessor of it /as he 
indeed is in his innermost center,) and the longer he keeps this 
thought and belief before him the more indissolubly will it 
weave itself into his being until he is that virtue personified. 

With a strong character gained by Will Culture, Scientific 
Concentration and Mental Discipline personal power is assured, 
and living on the superior side of life, on the highest side of 
the soul, as taught herein, the student gradually develops a 
power of mind that will enable him to cope with the vicissitudes 
of life. If to know oneself is one of the most important things 
a man can do there is nothing which will so help him as this 
practice of concentrating on those things one would have 
knowledge on, and after knowledge comes wisdom—before 
_ which all else pales into nothingness. 

/J The training of the mind requires: first, a vigilant sur¬ 
veillance of thought in order to discover our failings in this 
regard; second, Concentration upon what is good, useful and 
true; and lastly, a directing of thought to the accomplishment 
of that which we desire. 

Courage of the student to face the truth about himself, and 
the will to persevere in the work of reform in his world of 
thought, lead unquestionably to peace, to mental strength, and 
to the adjusting of his life to conditions however difficult the 
conditions may be. 

This is the secret of true content, the content the world is 
unconsciously seeking, even when pursuing pleasure and vain 
gratifications that ever elude its grasp, or, when attained, are 
found to be Dead Sea fruit . 


I 


(Fhr Haster IKrg 

fart dht? 

CHAPTER II. 

LESSON ONE. 

LOGICAL THINKING AND ETHICAL ORDER. 

Franklin was asked one day how he happened to be so lucky 
as to see clearly into problems of physical science. “By always 
thinking of them ” he replied. It is the same with ethical or¬ 
der ; we only come near the ideal by always thinking or concen¬ 
trating on it. 

Scientific Concentration, which summed up is “Logical 
Thinking" intelligently applied, illuminates the student’s 
path, prevents his making mistakes and, eventually leads to 
success. 

Those mistakes made by the student are never quite re¬ 
grettable if, recognizing the wrong road, he seeks to return to 
the right one. The beginning of success is the knozvledge of 
one's faults. Many suffer today through faulty concentration 
as a close perusal of this work by the intelligent student will 
show. 

Of the many faculties with which the human mind is pos¬ 
sessed not one has been less utilized and brought intelligently 
under mental discipline and used to further and better one’s 
physical, mental and moral well being than that of Concentra¬ 
tion. Scarcely a thought is given to it by many, as it does not 
seem to merit any particular attention. People have got on very 
well without it, some say, so why bother about it ? The question 
is on a par with “What's the good of anythingt” and would 
be put by the same kind of an individual. There was not the 
same need for it in the past that exists today. Not that our 
ancestors were altogether idle, or had no brains, but that pres- 

11 


12 


THE MASTER KEY 


sure was not so great, that their avocations were largely pas¬ 
toral, and did not demand the focusing and intelligent concen¬ 
trating of the powers of the mind for long together. Warring 
with each other certainly demanded watchfulness, and resource¬ 
fulness, but impulse and a ready wit supplied it to a great ex¬ 
tent. Times have changed since then, and man has become a 
much more mental creature, though from one standpoint he 
has never been anything else, but the life he has led has been 
more bosomed in mentality. By the very character of his make¬ 
up he has become more diverse in his talents; he has branched 
out in a thousand directions, as the unfolding life within sought 
expression. If he led the nomadic life today he would sink 
back to the animal. He may seek simplicity, because it per¬ 
mits the higher faculties of the mind their rightful expression, 
but it will not be the simplicity our forefathers associated with 
the word. A man may enjoy to the utmost the beauties of Na¬ 
ture and yet realize the joy of living in our complex civilization. 
Complexity cannot be avoided now, even were it desirable, 
which it is not, but to thoroughly extract the best from it a man 
must be able to adapt his mental faculties to the life lived. 
This cannot be done unless he has a knowledge of Scientific 
Concentration, because it is the gateway to the other powers 
of the mind. It should come almost first in the training of the 
mind, in the growth of the mentality, in brain-getting or grow¬ 
ing. It is inseparably connected with success, of whatever that 
success may consist. 

Its need, in fact, is much greater today than ever before, 
not only on account of the greater complexity to which refer¬ 
ence is made above, but because evolution as a factor in life has 
modified and changed our nature and powers to some extent. 
Writers, noting the restlessness which is running through every 
stratum of society, attribute it to the education act passed in 
England in 1870 and also in this country, because prior to com¬ 
pulsory education illiteracy was very common, and the masses 
were not able to think as those who have benefited by it. No 
doubt there is a modicum of truth in the contention, but it does 
not explain all. Dissatisfaction with things was bound to be 
one result of education among the people, and the nonsensical 
teaching that it was the right of the brainless to confiscate the 
fruit of those gifted with initiative and push was certain to be 
a popular one. Changes of this character are necessarily slow, 
when measured by the life of an individual, and they might even 


LOGICAL THINKING AND ETHICAL ORDER 13 


be questioned, but that this force of evolution is operative will 
not be doubted by thinking people. 

Students of history will be struck when making a compari¬ 
son with the mental life of the nation of today with that of five 
hundred years ago. While all the great levers which function 
in the moving of man’s nature are as manifest today, there is 
a very different mentality seen and this suggests an idea which 
must have been increasingly apparent to everyone during the 
last decade—man is after all a mental and spiritual creature. 
That is to say, he is more mind than body. In prehistoric times 
when the physical vehicle was the all-important part of his be¬ 
ing, when outward form was being fashioned to fit in with the 
life then lived there was no room for mind: the need for it had 
not been felt. Man’s varied wants were few and simple, and the 
mental principle could well be ignored. Today writers speak of 
man as being all mind; they affirm most emphatically that 
mind is all, that whatever form life may take it is only an ex¬ 
pression of the mind or mental part of man. This view of life 
alters one’s whole outlook of it; the holding of such a theory 
gives more weight and power to the mind as the arbiter of 
man’s happiness. The view obtains more and more among 
thoughtful people that consciousness or life is imprisoned in the 
early ages of the earth in rock and stone, and as later times 
dawn passes into forms which permit a freer play of expres¬ 
sion. Through the kingdom of Nature this life passes in turn, 
vitalizing, pulsing through the various forms which each king¬ 
dom provided for the purpose. When the human kingdom is 
reached more mentality is expressed, and it then becomes more 
evident that mind is at the base of all manifestation, and that 
man is the highest expression of this truth. The presence of 
the animal in man is too patent to question, but it is equally 
plain that man has the choice of allying himself with the lower 
or higher principles within him. In so far as he recognizes 
the basis of his being as mental and ignores the animal will he 
more fully realize within himself the truth of the assertion that 
man is nothing but mind and soul in expression. 

It is because man is a mental creature that he so widely 
diverges from the animals. Unlike them he has a part of his 
nature which merely physical wants will not satisfy, save in 
the case of some very aboriginal tribes, and they scarcely count 
at the moment, for the higher animals are above them in in¬ 
telligence. Man recognizes this difference, but he does not 


14 


THE MASTER KEY 


understand the full import of it. He does not as yet see in 
himself the highest expression of the Law, nor does he under¬ 
stand what the Law is. He obeys the law of his being, how¬ 
ever, little dreaming the real causes and effects expressing them¬ 
selves through him. It is clear to him that mind holds a dom¬ 
inating place in the world. He knows that it is the thinkers, 
the scientists, the philosophers who stand at the head of the 
race, because they have developed the highest part of their 
nature. He recalls what a vast space separates the amoeba 
from him. That tiny creature, the first form of sentient life, 
minus the five senses, no limbs, no ears, no head, no eyes, no 
stomach even. No wonder it is a popular starting point with 
all authors when comparing man as we now know him and 
from what he sprang first. It is a long way down the vistas 
of time since that period; every step in the upward path of man 
has been in the direction of mind, and today the Law is be¬ 
ginning to be understood which will lift man entirely out of the 
rut of unconsciousness, in which he has trudged all these aeons. 
The animals do not know why they are here, what the object 
of evolution is, the purpose of life; many men are in the same 
position, but here and there men have penetrated into the 
mysterious chasms and awe-inspiring laboratories of Nature, 
which yields her secrets reluctantly to the seeker after knowl¬ 
edge. Right along the ages growth has been insistent, but 
unconscious, and man has reached a point now where it should 
cease to be unconsious any longer. 

Why? Because the physical growth has now reached its 
climax. There is no particular in which the human form could 
be improved. All that is necessary for its perfect functioning 
has been provided. Some writers think that man's strong 
desire to fly will result in his providing his body with wings, 
but this desire for the conquest of the air without adventitious 
aids like aeroplanes and balloons does not necessarily require 
the sprouting of organs which would decidedly be in the way 
in many cases. Man has no fins, yet he can swim, so there 
is no need to imitate the birds. Indeed, among the Hindus and 
more than one Eastern race levitation has been known for 
thousands of years, and it is accomplished by counteracting the 
law of gravitation. The writer is acquainted with a disciple 
of Eastern philosophy who got to the point of discovery of the 
secret of levitation without having come in contact with 
Easterns, having worked out the theory from his own con- 


LOGICAL THINKING AND ETHICAL ORDER 15 


sciousness, but his brain refused to carry the discovery through. 
It is axiomatic that no question can be asked which cannot be 
answered, so that provided man was really in earnest and 
desired strongly enough to raise his own body without any out¬ 
side agency he would indubitably accomplish it. 

No, the human body is scarcely likely to alter in shape, or 
that other physical organs will be grafted on to it, but it is 
extremely probable that man will enlarge his conceptions of 
the kosmos, will demand to know why he is here, what his 
destiny is, how he may control it, how enjoy a wider use of 
power. All this is natural, because it is in the nature of mind 
to be unsatisfied with theories and explanations which are 
obviously not founded on truth. Truth is really what man 
seeks, though he may not always be aware of it. The desire 
to know is to know what IS, and what is can only be truth. 
I am constantly reminding students that the words good, beau¬ 
tiful and true are practically all the same, as Plato long 
ago taught. Some think that they will depreciate in the 
eyes of people if they openly confess to their neighbors 
or announce that they are searching for the truth. They fear 
the world will laugh at them, or take them for mere vision¬ 
aries ; then truth often seems to be so abstract, so diaphanous, 
so filmy, unreal, breathing of mysticism or the occult. Man 
has been searching for it, as a matter of fact, since he was 
first launched on this chain of globes, and the quest of the 
holy grail is no legend. 

The desire for knowledge of “self” is apparent on every 
side, and it will no longer be satisfied with the old-time answers 
to its questionings. He must know; authority no longer car¬ 
ries any force or weight, for it has so often been found lacking 
in truth, and each man can only assimilate that portion of truth 
which he is able to make his own. To gain this knowledge, 
or even the lower knowledge, if I may divide knowledge in this 
way, man must possess the tool by means of which he can 
delve within himself for it, and what faculty of the mind can 
so materially assist him in either this work or the exploration 
of that vast territory of man’s being—the Subconscious —than 
Concentration. 

Most writers have been content to dismiss the subject with 
a few words and the setting of some exercises; its difficulties 
have been carefully veiled, and its simplicity been delightfully 
described. With some people this is a sure way to get them to 


16 


THE MASTER KEY 


study a thing. Few are built like Browning’s Grammarian , 
who said: 


“Let me know all! Prate not of most or least 
Painful or easy.” 

In reality, Concentration is not a power which can be readily 
gained, one of the chief reasons being that it should be taken 
up after mind-training generally rather than precede it. Of 
course, to train the mind even Concentration to some extent 
is necessary, but it can only be practiced properly when, we 
know something of the laws of thought and the possibilities 
of the soul, hence the failure of so many students to be able to 
concentrate after the perusal of a book or article professing to 
deal with it. It is no use telling a person that all he has to do 
is to get interested in a thing and he will be able to concentrate 
on it. This applies to a very limited area; it does not help 
one much with the varied duties of life, or the attitude of the 
mind and other faculties. Concentration can only be said to be 
satisfactory when we can apply it at any moment of our lives 
to whatever subject or problem we desire. Something more 
must be known concerning consciousness and its modes of 
action. 

For his first lesson, then, the student must seek to gain 
some knowledge of the factors which constitute his mind, to see 
how best to train them, to eliminate from his mentality that 
which destroys the power to concentrate, how to direct and 
govern his feelings and emotions so that they shall bring 
about the formation of those elements so essential to the 
power to fasten the fangs of the mind deeply into any 
point and keep them there until he gives it permission to relax 
its hold. This is only a portion of the problem, but it leads 
directly to the path of Concentration, the end of the student’s 
goal in this course. The true and sincere student will not mind 
the spade work, for he gains a prize worth all the most bril¬ 
liant jewels the world can offer him: he has gained The Master 
Key! After it study, the acquirement of learning, the acquisi¬ 
tion of wisdom, the royal road to truth, power, self-culture in 
the widest sense are his. The deepest secret that Nature holds 
can be wrested from her by it, for the penetrative power of 
Concentration pierces the most impenetrable—or apparently 
so—veil. 

Brains are necessary as a preliminary to Concentration, and 



LOGICAL THINKING AND ETHICAL ORDER 17 

the sluggish materials which bear that name must be cultivated, 
as I have pointed out in this work. They are not the preroga¬ 
tive of the few, though by the negative evidence offered we 
might imagine that they were most sparingly doled out by 
Nature. While they may be plentiful, however, they are used 
to so small an extent that their owners might often get on as 
well without them. No one knows how lethargic people are 
in regard to study or any mental work better than teachers. 
Those who have been many years in the teaching of Psychology 
can testify how difficult it is to get faithful students, no matter 
what advantages may be offered. The fact of education having 
to be enforced by law offers as striking a testimony as any to 
the mental apathy, the failure to see the advantages which 
spring from the cultivation of one’s mental powers and facul¬ 
ties. The cry that parents in the old days got on all right with¬ 
out education and they did not see why their minds could not 
do the same was very common at one time, and even today 
may be heard from time to time. There is almost a premium 
on ignorance among the working class in this country and also 
in other English-speaking countries, for in spite of the alluring 
facilities offered in cheap textbooks and free schools and institu¬ 
tions not twenty per cent of them speak their language gram¬ 
matically. Self-culture is extremely distasteful to the great 
bulk: a football match or a baseball game would be more to the 
taste of the modern youth and a novelette to the modern 
maid. Anything which requires the exercise of the mind is 
given a wide berth. Even among the middle classes the shrink¬ 
ing from mental work is almost as marked, unless it have 
some connection with the avocation followed. 

There is no disguising this tendency of the age, and before 
the student can profitably practice Concentration he must make 
up his mind that he is going to overhaul his mental stock-in- 
trade—gather the material together before he sets it to work 
on some task. 

Many may regard their brains as being overtaxed; a very 
small portion of the brain-area has been used so far, though one 
may be sixty or seventy years old, unless he has passed his life 
in purely sedentary work, and only then when the work has 
been of a very varied description, a working journalist provid¬ 
ing an example. The writer will admit that this is a busy 
age, an age of hustle and bustle, but it does not follow that 
we are overworked mentally, even if our work may be mental. 


18 


THE MASTER KEY 


There is a great fear of overtaxing the brain, and suffering 
from nervous breakdown, but none need overwork, provided 
he obtain sufficient sleep. A break in work is decidedly desir¬ 
able, and those whose work is purely sedentary may obtain 
relaxation, even by taking up the study of another subject, 
because another portion of the brain will be employed thereby. 
Remember that just as water continually trickling down a hill¬ 
side makes a channel for itself before long, so repeating certain 
trains of thought, or doing the same thing with the brain 
repeatedly, like a bookkeeper adding up columns of figures, 
makes a channel in the brain. If the convolutions of the 
brain were spread out they would be found to make a good 
sized area, and would satisfy the most ardent devotee of 
knowledge. 

Mental Discipline must be begun now, and to do this light, 
sensational reading should be lessened almost to the point of 
extinction, because reading three lines on one subject is to com¬ 
mence a definite train of thought, which is broken the next 
minute, or often less than half a minute, by the intrusion of an¬ 
other subject, ^his diffuses or scatters the thought, and if 
those who are guilty of the habit only knew the amount of harm 
done their mental mechanism the writer feels sure they would 
abandon the habit at once. The custom of seeking to extract 
the pith from everything may be commendable in itself, but it 
works out with disastrous effects to the average mind, just as 
efforts to subsist on essences and concentrated foods in tabloid 
form do with regard to the body. The desire to get at the pith 
of a subject at the very commencement arises from a wish to 
avoid study, and this is not the right attitude of those who 
seek to acquire the faculty of concentration. In conversation, 
too, a thought should be kept until all concerning it of an 
interesting nature has been extracted, which does not mean 
wearing it threadbare. Diffusion essentially means surfacing 
things only, and Concentration means getting into the depths, 
a going to the center of a thing. 

By Mental Discipline is meant the assertion of the “I” over 
the mind, which may strike some readers as odd, because they 
have generally associated themselves with their mind. They 
unthinkingly say “my mind” showing that the mind is not 
themselves, but something possessed by the real man, and that 
is really the fact. This course of Mental Discipline will not 
venture to define what the real man is, as it would take the 


LOGICAL THINKING AND ETHICAL ORDER 19 


student too far out of his way, but it is essential that he 
understand that the mind is only an instrument, just as 
the body is. Some people know from experience—often 
painful—that they do things at times that they really do not 
wish to do, possibly partaking of something which has up 
to now acted injuriously to them, or followed some course that 
they do not approve, yet felt, through their lack of Mental 
Discipline, that they had to follow. Begin to regard this mind, 
then, as something amenable to the will, to the true self, and 
being amenable it must of necessity be lower. Being lower it 
is the servant, and not the master as it really seems to be to 
most people. There is in reality not the slightest excuse for 
your shortcomings, your ee little weaknesses/' Though you like to 
think there is, because it seems to exculpate you, and make you 
greater than you are. In truth, it only lowers you, weakens 
you, makes you less capable of bringing out the powers and 
principles within you, and the object of this course is to 
strengthen, to evolve. 

It will be well to remind yourself daily that you are not 
your mind, that you are something infinitely far higher, and 
that in proportion as you recognize this truth you shall be able 
to subjugate the mind, and learn to concentrate, because if you 
are obsessed with the idea that you are at the mercy of your 
own mind you will accomplish nothing. I happened to state 
at a lecture I gave recently that anyone could control his 
thought if he wished, and in the discussion which followed a 
gentleman challenged the statement, because he had been try¬ 
ing for thirty years to do so and had not succeeded. On such 
a principle, if a man who had been trying to learn to play the 
piano for thirty years and had not succeeded, it might be laid 
down that no one could learn to play the instrument. The 
absurdity is apparent, yet almost as absurd objections are 
brought against the New Psychology. Because one man has 
not contacted his higher self he denies the existence of it. I 
grant the idea may be strange; there may be more evidence to 
support the popular theory that a man is his mind, or that he is 
(e mind, body and spirit ” which is a half truth. The fact is, 
many are all so strongly under the domination of the everyday 
mind that the illusion seems quite natural, and mankind is all 
pretty much alike. It has taken some people twenty years to 
realize it, but they have done so eventually, and possibly some 
people have been even longer than this. 


91 jp iiaatfr SCmj 

CHAPTER III. 

LESSON TWO. 

THE HURRY HABIT. 

If the student wishes to get his mind under control he should 
cultivate the habit of avoiding hurry, which is one of the first 
things to undermine the growth and expansion of its powers. 
Some people do not come under the category of hurry, but 
they worry, which is almost as bad. Where Concentration 
is aimed at the mind should be like the surface of a lake, which 
permits reflection, but both worry and hurry ruffle its surface, 
so that it can no longer fulfil its proper function, which is to 
hold and meditate upon. Hurry and worry cause a ceaseless 
agitation, a turning back of the mind upon itself, a going over 
the same chain of thought in the endeavor to find a solution to 
some pressing question. It is well known that in such cases 
the solution is rarely forthcoming by such a method, any more 
than a name or a fact which escapes the memory for the 
moment is recalled by intense thinking. It is when the mind 
is relaxed, when it has gone along another line that the missing 
information is ushered into the consciousness, or brought forth 
from the inner recesses of the mind to the objective portion 
of it. F 

Different temperaments find different methods appeal to 
them for the stilling of the mind. The phlegmatic, slow- 
moving mind is not touched by a devotional attitude, nor is the 
devotional temperament attracted by the purely intellectual, 
whilst the active type does not find comfort in either intellectual 
or devotional ways. 

How can the hurry habit be most effectively checked? Not 
always by trying to induce a state of peace within the mind, 
but by the removal of one of the potent causes of it—the 
attempt at doing too much and the undue or exaggerated im- 

20 


THE HURRY HABIT 


21 


portance we attach to things . It has been noted that when even 
a great man passed away the world did not come to a stand¬ 
still, but went on its way as before. The work was not inter¬ 
rupted, but proceeded again. The man might be missed, but 
not for long, so that the average man need not fear that if he 
omits to do this or that dire consequences will result. He will 
know by experience what he can accomplish, and he will be 
unwise if he set himself more to do than that. It may be 
that he has duties set for him which have to be got through. 
Much of this could be avoided by refusing to undertake more 
responsibilities than he knew he could fulfil. Many wish to 
be helpful, to give no offence, to be willing to give a fellow 
being a lift—excellent intentions, but there are limits to every¬ 
thing, and a line has to be drawn. Better decline things than 
have to leave unfinished or badly done tasks. We see on every 
hand the botched, slipshod work, and not only does it make 
trouble for others, but it makes the creator of it slipshod in 
character: it prevents his rising, prevents his bringing forth 
and giving, as he should do, his very best to the world. The 
world is always looking for the best, and will pay the highest 
price for it, but the markets are glutted with the second-rate 
things, which no one wants but those who cannot afford to 
buy better. On them it has a demoralizing effect, as well as 
their makers, and therefore the habit is bad all round. 

Thoroughness Re-acts Beneficially on the Mind. 

By attempting less whatever is taken up will be done more 
thoroughly, and this thoroughness will re-act on the mind, and 
the thinking will be more thorough. When there is no need 
to hurry, the thought can act more effectively, more clearly, 
and it will, as a matter of fact, act more rapidly as time goes 
on, so that the fancied giving up of things it was deemed to 
be our duty to perform will be seen to have resulted in adding 
to our efficiency. Method and system will be inculcated, and 
these in themselves will be invaluable adjuncts to the gaining of 
Concentration and Will Culture. By system one can learn 
that priceless art of economizing time, because the stilling of the 
mind will result in your seeing more clearly where you can 
save time, and how things may be more effectively performed 
and fit in with other things. Thus you will eventually be in a 
position to take up things which you had laid aside, thinking 


22 


THE MASTER KEY 


you could not squeeze in the necessary time for their accom¬ 
plishment. Merely reading the rules, systems and methods 
laid down in this work will do little unless they be followed 
up by actual practice. 

It is evident that once the mind is stilled it is more easy to 
concentrate it on one subject and keep it there, and when this 
can be accomplished you may be said to have reached the con¬ 
summation of your desires. 

There are few more inspiring ideas to a man than that “he 
can who thinks he can.” Is this really true, it may well be 
asked? Does the mere fact of thinking we can accomplish 
a certain thing, attain a cherished goal really enable us to do it ? 
The simplicity of it seems alluring, but at the same moment so 
repellent, because so improbable. It is one of the twentieth 
century aphorisms of New Psychology, a statement that even 
a Smiles might question, or the most bigoted optimist entertain 
a doubt about, yet it is thoroughly scientific. Let us examine 
the assertion a little. A man would prove it just as he would a 
theorem in Euclid. He would have to admit what all living 
psychologists now admit, i. e., that the mind does not express a 
quarter of what it might do; that beneath the threshold of 
consciousness there reside extensions of the powers exhibited 
in part; that consciousness as we know it is a very complex 
thing, and not the simple phase of mental activity it once was 
supposed to be. Experimental psychology has disclosed the 
fact that “There are a million energies in man. What may 
we not become when we learn to use them all ?” This is the 
work which lies before us at the present time, and which the 
coming ages will see immensely advanced. The merest tyro 
knows that if a man thinks he cannot do a thing he rarely does 
it, or if he does, it is not done brilliantly. It is obvious that 
when a man doubts his own powers he does not make the fullest 
use of them. Confidence in oneself has always been considered 
indispensable for success in whatever direction a man might 
seek it, for the diffident man does not really put forth his abili¬ 
ties, therefore he naturally only evokes part of his abilities. 

The first idea arising from the statement is that if a man 
can only think in a certain manner he will be able to do more, 
and this is because thoughts running in a particular direction 
endow one with more force, just as the studying of a difficult 
problem causes a rush of more blood to the brain than when 
conversation or light reading is being engaged in. It is a law 


THE HURRY HABIT 


23 


of nature that where there is the demand there is the supply. 
By the entertaining the idea that we can we direct the attention 
into a particular channel, the conception of possibility arises, 
and with this the latent power that is coiled up in everyone is 
stirred up. It is the call of the mind for something, and an 
immediate response is made to the demand. 

If there is more power, then more ability must be the result, 
and with ability it is possible to double one’s usefulness. Con¬ 
centration demands ability to keep the mind one-pointed, and 
by a study of the laws of mind we are able to focus the mind 
upon whatever we desire. Seeing that the mind is made up of 
innumerable mental actions, for any change of a decided 
nature to take place there must be a predominant tendency of 
the mind, so that this belief in ourselves can only become 
really alive by its over-riding all other thoughts in the mind. 

Now this is the attitude that must be taken up by the man 
who would concentrate successfully. He must believe that he 
can, and by so doing he will impregnate his mentality with the 
force of the idea until it becomes a fixed thought. Then it is 
that he will awaken the power that will render it possible for 
him to do what he has set his mind upon. Remember, that it 
is the power you are to evoke that will enable you to do, not 
the mere thinking that you can, and this is a point which needs 
bearing in mind. Too many people imagine they have only 
to think and their power is finished. 

With the power which belief brings to one a rearrangement 
of mental atoms takes place and the efforts to control the mind 
gain perceptible strength from day to day. It is only he who 
thinks he can concentrate who can feel that he can concentrate; 
there must be feeling and thought brought into line before much 
will be accomplished, and this emphasizes the necessity of pre¬ 
liminary training: it is a course of preparation which the mind 
undergoes, quite prior to the actual practice of Concentration. 
Why should Belief bring power? For one thing it has sup¬ 
planted Doubt, and a whole volume might be written on the 
part which this mental nightmare (doubt) has played in the 
evolution of man, casting him back into darkness every time he 
has endeavored to step towards the light. In my work entitled 
The Immanence of God—“Know Thyself” I have placed be¬ 
fore the reader the evil it has wrought in man. It is so subtle, 
so insidious in its workings that its presence is frequently 
not suspected. 


Slit Hasler IKeg 

CHAPTER IV. 

LESSON THREE. 

DOUBT BARS THE WAY. 

We all know what glamor means, but it is one of the 
most difficult things conceivable to find it in ourselves; it is 
like turning the mind upon itself. One has read of persons 
trying to record the impressions made upon them after having 
used opium; a study in madness, in which the victim portrays 
the changes in consciousness as he began to pass out of the 
realm of sanity, illustrates this difficulty. Edgar Allen Poe 
pictures the same idea in a wonderful manner. It is so differ¬ 
ent to set to work on a material which is outside the worker 
to working on the worker himself. We use our eyes to see 
what is round about us, what is really outside them; if we 
could conceive turning the eye on itself—not another person’s 
eye—and subjecting it to a minute anatomical dissection we 
should get some notion of the task. Yet we sharpen a knife 
by bringing it in contact with another, so that though both 
blades were blunt before being brought together they are so 
no longer. 

This glamor of the mind is regarded by some as a wise 
provision of Nature to hide from us our deficiencies and short¬ 
comings from ourselves, to soften and assuage the pain which 
the discovery would awaken, but only the weak now would 
ever be content to accept such an anodyne. Its action, like 
that of all anodynes is to deaden, to stupefy, to stunt and dwarf, 
and therefore to lead to involution instead of evolution. 

Glamor may be necessary at certain stages in the growth 
of the ego, but it decidedly is not so when a man begins to take 
himself in hand, and the man who is anxious to know how to 
concentrate does not usually rest there: it is a means to an end, 

24 


DOUBT BARS THE WAY 


25 


and that end is the bringing forth of all the powers latent in 
man and using them to the fullest extent. 

The Old Man of The Sea. 

Doubt possesses in a remarkable degree this quality of 
glamor; it is like “The Old Man of the Sea ” in one sense: we 
carry it about on our backs, even when we know we have it, de¬ 
luding ourselves with the idea that we must always bear the 
burden. But at a prior stage the excrescence is there, and we 
know it not. This constitutes the insidiousness of the thing. 

We really entertain this mental visitor, this alien (doubt) 
without knowing it; we start a movement, so to speak, and, as 
everyone knows, once a thing is set going one never knows 
where it will stop. In fact, once begun a thing acquires a 
momentum of its own. When we deal with forces it is not like 
dealing with dead things. A stone thrown from the hand will 
travel until the force which actuated it is spent, and it falls to 
the ground. It is mechanical; it lacks the life which force pos¬ 
sesses, though even a stone has life, only not sufficiently de¬ 
veloped to the point we find in the case of a vital force. A 
force contains the elements of self-initiation; that is to say, 
it has potentialities. It has, as it were, life behind it, so that 
when we start it off it has the faculty of going on through its 
own volition. We get some idea of this in the problem of 
perpetual motion, which has exercised the minds of the greatest 
thinkers in all ages. They have tried to create some device 
which, once set going, would continue to move for all eternity. 
As a result some clever mechanical apparatus have been in¬ 
vented, things which would wind themselves up when they 
had run down, showing the idea of a something existing in the 
universe which pulsed with the primeval life. It does exist, 
too; the atom is an example of it. It is a vortex of perpetual 
force, of movement, which cannot be destroyed, but which may 
be altered as regards direction. 

And this is the practical bearing it has for us. So long as 
the mind exists it must work. True, we can cease thinking for 
brief spaces of time, but they are very brief indeed. Whether 
we like it or not the mind will go on functioning, and if we do 
not provide it with work it will find work for itself. 

In this way Doubt will be accepted as something for the 
mind to pit itself against, and Doubt bars the way to accom¬ 
plishment. To seek to concentrate a mind in which Doubt has 


26 


THE MASTER KEY 


a state, is like trying to extract the maximum worth and 
brightness from a fire grate which is choked with ashes and 
piled up with rubbish as well. What avail is the best coal 
when put on such a fire? If we give the fire time all the rub¬ 
bish will probably be burnt up, but this will require too long a 
period, and we cannot get the best out of our fire whilst it is in 
this state. A mind which harbors Doubt is a mind which is 
confused, and this confusion is not always apparent to its 
possessor. You can only secure the fullest use of a power by 
its being unfettered by others and only by the fullest use, by 
using one hundred per cent, do you achieve anything worth 
while. When forces are divided there is leakage in power, 
and one force neutralizes another. When in a big crowd of 
people, one-half wants to go in just the opposite direction to 
what the other half is going, many times the power is neces¬ 
sary in pushing through, this power is utterly thrown away. 
It leaves the man with less power for whatever purpose he 
may need it. 

If you would concentrate with ease you must clarify the 
mind first; you must throw overboard much which you deemed 
essential to its well-being. Doubt, for one thing, must be 
shown the door. The ructions created in a mind by this soul- 
destroying negative, which is really a reflection, and has no 
solid existence, are gigantic, and accounts for many people 
having such average minds. Many will find much in their 
mental makeup that is only a useless burden, and they should 
drop it. The student should dwell from time to time on the idea 
that because he thinks and actually believes he can improve his 
power of Concentration he really can. 

While engaged in clarifying the mind he will do well to 
consider some of the laws of the mind, its mode of working, 
the character of thought. 

The mind is like a bottled up volcano, full of immense 
forces, only, unlike its physical prototype, it is under lock and 
key, or under control; the control is unconscious, however, just 
as the mind’s powers usually are. The lid comes off when the 
mind is unhinged, when there is a want of balance, and the 
most brilliant genius has paid the penalty of not understanding 
the forces he has created or developed. If we would control 
it we must seek to understand it. I have referred to the in¬ 
tense activity of the mind, the fact that it is never still, but 
always moving like a large crowd, a number of which wish 


DOUBT BARS THE WAY 


27 


to go in various directions. Why do not people train the forces 
of their mind so that they will all work in one direction, and 
thus ensure harmony, a oneness of goal, thereby avoiding much 
needless friction and waste of brain energy, of which such a 
a large amount is generated? 

One might imagine a juggler endeavoring to keep twenty 
balls in the air at one time. So long as he had each ball in his 
hand he would have full control of it, but as soon as it left 
his hand he would be unable to alter its course. He would 
simply have to wait till it returned to his hand, and sometimes 
it would not even do this, but fall to the ground. The man who 
had never practiced juggling would find it would take him all 
his time to keep three balls in the air at one time, and this illus¬ 
tration will exemplify to some extent the problem we are 
considering. 

The balls would well stand for the tendencies of the mind. 
These tendencies would be absolutely under our control while 
lying inert, but once we set them going they would be out of 
hand till the force endowing them had been spent. By one of 
the laws of the mind a tendency has a faculty or leaning to 
multiply itself, just as a snowball when set rolling gathers more 
snow and thus becomes a huge globe. Undesirable tendencies 
must, therefore, be controlled, checked, directed, when they will 
help instead of hindering our growth. 

Reverting to glamor once more we see it has its constructive 
side. It enables us to view with equanimity the pin-pricks of 
daily life, as well as the really great troubles, the disappoint¬ 
ments and trials which make so large a part of the lives of some 
people. When one lives in squalid surroundings, in dirty dark 
manufacturing districts, where beauty is a stranger, with people 
who do not embody many of the virtues in their composition, 
we may transform as by magic, the disharmonious elements, 
seeing everything through a rose-tinted atmosphere. The sting 
is thereby removed, and we look with complacency on circum¬ 
stances and people alike. Such an attitude helps much to gain 
the upper hand of hurry, to which reference has been made. 
It is the investing of the daily life with romance, which has no 
need to be less in evidence than it was in the past when chivalry 
and the idealizing tendency were so largely in evidence. Every 
adjunct which leads to the raising of the mind, which takes it 
from so-called realities of existence aids us in our task of learn¬ 
ing to concentrate. 


@lfp iHaatfr SCtg 

CHAPTER V. 

LESSON FOUR. 

THE GREAT GOSPEL OF OPTIMISM. 

There may spring up an objection that we are deluding our¬ 
selves by regarding things in this fashion. We see an emaci¬ 
ated, stooping figure, painfully crawling along one of our busy 
streets breathing with difficulty, the limbs trembling as with 
ague, and almost giving way with each step; the eyes seek the 
ground, the figure shrinks as though striving to escape notice. 
Drink, want, disease and vice have each imprinted their marks 
upon the creature. When we think of man and the marvellous 
things he has done in art, invention, science, literature, philos¬ 
ophy, commerce, engineering, transforming wilderness and 
deserts into beautiful cities, with stately architecture, the forces 
of Nature ministering to his numerous wants quickly and 
quietly—when we regard such a creature and identify him 
with man, are we honest ? The tottering, shrinking wretch is 
real, but it would be a libel on humanity to admit him into the 
same class. While it is true that man is higher than the beasts 
it is equally true that he has the power to sink below them. 
The ideal man is as real as the despicable wreck we have been 
dealing with, and it only remains for the student to ask himself: 
Is it more common sense to take this poor wretch as an 
exemplar or the highest man history places before us? Which 
will give rise to the loftiest conceptions of humanity? It is 
obvious that if the mind becomes that on which it dwells and 
the majority of the slum dwellers in any city prove it by their 
features, bearing and gait—then we should ignore the carica¬ 
ture as such. 

If surroundings do not count why seek to abolish ugliness? 
Why lay out parks, provide art galleries, luxurious buildings, if 
refinement is not an adjunct to existence and somewhat above 

28 


THE GREAT GOSPEL OF OPTIMISM 


29 


that lived by the masses, if it does not conduce to more happi¬ 
ness, a fuller life, then one might as well fall back into the 
slough of the submerged. We all recognize tacitly, it may be 
in many cases, that education and a civilized environment tend 
to the upliftment and betterment of humanity. 

More and more writers and teachers advocate the viewing 
of life through rose-tinted glass, and naturally, for it is the 
kernel of The Great Gospel of Optimism, which is being 
whole-heartedly preached in the United States, and in a lesser 
degree in England. Adopt the same habit; idealize everything 
in which you come into contact. Do not pay attention to 
the negative part of anything, and as you succeed in doing 
this you will see everything with an extended vision, to say 
nothing of being the happier for it. Happiness and True Faith 
in one’s self has more to do with Concentration than one would 
willingly admit at first sight. If we are happy we regard things 
in a different light, and we take an interest in them. 

It is difficult to concentrate on anything in which you are 
not interested, and it is difficult to be interested in anything 
you do not like. Students must as a consequence begin their 
exercises in Concentration with those things they like, that they 
feel deep interest in, and the deeper the interest the easier will 
it be for them to give themselves up whole-heartedly to it. The 
want of a real live interest in a subject has had more to do with 
the failure to concentrate than is generally imagined. The girl 
or youth who does not learn or grasp her or his lesson has not 
had the interest in it which allows the finer part of the mind 
to be employed in absorbing and assimilating the knowledge 
placed before it. Concentration on columns of figures would 
seem to the bulk of people as distasteful a piece of mental work 
which could be given a human being, hence it would be ap¬ 
proached with positive dislike or loathing. Statistics is an¬ 
other form which most people shun because, as in figures, there 
is nothing to take an interest in, yet these things have an actual 
attraction for many people, who really devour these discon¬ 
nected facts and figures,deriving a satisfaction from them which 
is lent by the Concentration expended on them. That is to 
say, the very effort to concentrate evokes a condition which 
not only enables things to be accomplished before with infinite 
labor, but a liking for the practice is engendered. 

Putting the mind in this state, in which you find you have a 
real interest in a thing, you have not to invoke the will to keep 


30 


THE MASTER KEY 


the mind one-pointed. The will has a part to play in Concen¬ 
tration, and what that part is will be fully considered in its 
proper place further on in the work. 

To create an interest in a thing find where it concerns us 
most. It often happens you have to do something you do not 
like, and if that “task” calls forth repugnance it is certain that 
you shall concentrate on it in a very imperfect manner. You 
will, in addition, use a far larger amount of vital energy in 
doing the work that you are justified in doing. All mental 
force must be conserved, for the student will find that he needs 
every ounce he possesses. Some spend nearly one-half—many 
people much more—what they generate uselessly, and the reader 
will bear this in mind. 

It is possible to cultivate not merely an indifference to a 
thing you do not like, but to transmute that feeling of dislike 
utterly. If it be our work, and we have been put to this work 
against the grain, there may not appear to be any great virtue 
in trying to like it, but the fact of hating it creates a dishar¬ 
mony in the mind that we find quite inimical to mental growth 
and to all creative thought. Whatever be the duties we find 
we have to do they must always be done with grace, with love, 
with the feeling that it is due to our higher conception to dignify 
a thing and not let it degrade us. When it is repulsive to us 
our attitude should be to carry it out as well as we can, and this 
spirit will lead us to cease to be worried by the feeling of 
distaste. The task will become less uncongenial; if it is a piece 
of work requiring mechanical skill we will not paralyze our best 
energies by the idea that we are incompetent to do it. 

It may be that you fail to perform it satisfactorily to your 
employer or yourself at first, but by calling to your aid the 
determination that you are not going to let the work be clumsily 
or inadequately done you will invoke the co-operation of the 
best that is in you and do the work well. This will especially 
be the case later when the mind has grown by the exercises 
given later in the work. 

Much of the so-called incompetency of people does not pro¬ 
ceed from stupidity, want of apprehension or inferiority in 
mind powers, but in the low estimate they have always placed 
upon themselves and their work. It has well been said that 
you are here to do something which no one else can do, save 
yourself. What that work may be no one would pretend to 
dogmatize upon, but one thing is clear: every human being is 


THE GREAT GOSPEL OF OPTIMISM 


31 


an individual, and no two are alike, so that although the goal 
of humanity be a common one no two people will reach it in 
the same way. Evolution is not merely an unfolding, but as 
Bergson has shown, a creating, so that the “new” is an actual 
fact in nature, and things are not a re-hash. 

“What man has done man can do” is no empty platitude, 
but a matter of exact science, so that any man who wishes to 
become a painter, a writer, an orator, a military leader, or any¬ 
thing else, may do so, provided he follows the laws of mind. 
It is so easy to forget the potentialities within each of us because 
we never see them, and people usually only believe in those 
things that they see. That is why they are now and then 
dumbfounded when they hear of someone whom they knew 
well doing something really clever, or something for which they 
have never given any hint that they possessed. If a man gets 
the idea that he is only common clay, that he is not clever like 
people he knows or has read about, he closes the avenues of the 
mind wherein lie the same powers that the men he envies or 
stands in awe of. Many men go through life for years before 
waking up to their possibilities, and then they suddenly discover 
the Great Within and the riches which respose therein, and they 
are no longer the poor creatures they were. History is full of 
these instances, of men who were absolute dunces at school, or 
idle, dissipated, utterly aimless. The great bulk of mankind 
goes through life in this blind fashion, though there are plenty 
of signs now that it is waking up, that the general level is being 
raised all round. 

If you induce other trains of thought—and this is quite 
possible—you come to regard unpleasant duties in a new light. 
We see them as opportunities, opportunities to show the mettle 
you are made of. You begin to learn that you are greater than 
you supposed, and that knowledge alone warms you to your 
work, quickens the intellectual powers, awakens the inventive 
areas of the brain, lends dexterity to the fingers or limbs, calls 
forth care and precision in whatever be the work. A well 
known teacher of dancing avers that the art of dancing is in 
the head, not the feet. This is one reason why a teacher in any 
subject is so useful. In it not that he himself does the work, 
but he shows that it is possible to be done, and the fact of 
seeing it done, or knowing that it can be, provides the necessary 
stimulus to induce the tyro to make the attempt by arousing 
his faith. It further gives him the encouragement and sym- 


32 


THE MASTER KEY 


pathy to try to accomplish it, and this putting forth of efforts 
increases in power and ability each time. Briefly, it is in the 
doing of a thing that we grow, not the mere theorizing about it. 

The writer has used above the illustration of a piece of 
work, but it is equally applicable in the gaining of a mental 
faculty, in any phase of character-building, and readers should 
regard it in that light. It is practically immaterial to what 
purpose we apply the principle: it holds good in everything. 

Examine every unpleasant thing which you are called upon 
to do, and see if there is not some aspect about it which appeals 
to you, some good point that merits commendation. In many 
cases this will be found, and your interest will at once be 
awakened. Once aroused you will see unsuspected features 
which will render it less irksome to fasten the attention on, 
and when this is so Concentration has been attained. 

The student who would learn to concentrate successfully 
must utterly reverse the methods which are generally taught, 
just as the East adopts exactly the opposite system to that 
applied in the West in regard to science, the former seeking to 
perfect the instrument by which knowledge of the universe is 
possible—the mind, or the subjective method, the West begin¬ 
ning with the universe and ending with man, or the objective 
method, so he must not commence with the without, but with 
the within. One must be serene; serenity is the positive aspect 
and worry, to which I have referred in Chapter Five, is 
the negative. It is not sufficient not to worry, but one must cul¬ 
tivate a deep, quiet, peace-compelling atmosphere. Such an at¬ 
mosphere of poise gives birth to forces awaiting our recogni¬ 
tion. The usual conception of hustle and bustle being essential 
to accomplish anything is founded like so much else in the world 
upon appearances. The cult of striving in order to achieve 
enters into nearly every aspect of existence, because there under¬ 
lies every effort that principle which is eating the heart out of 
hundreds and thousands— competition —a much misunderstood 
principle, which has its place in the order of things when right¬ 
fully understood. The universal urge, the cosmic whip which 
eggs the individual on and on, promotes growth, makes for 
evolution when it is properly apprehended. It differentiates the 
thinking from the non-thinking portion of humanity; it takes 
the jelly-fish, backboneless, colorless, inchoate, vacillating 
creature, and makes an individual of him. When the notion 
of life being a battle gains ascendency in the consciousness then 


THE GREAT GOSPEL OF OPTIMISM 


33 


enmity towards all outside ourselves is generated—fighting is 
the dominating idea— “the struggle for existence, the weakest 
go to the wall, survival of the fittest ” are three classical phrases 
which well exemplify the spirit of the age, and define the atti¬ 
tude taken by so many. Individuality is what evolution or the 
principle of unfoldment aims at, but it is the gaining of a 
strength to help not to crush. Strength of body and strength 
of mind are the desiderata of weary men and women, because a 
strong character is the normal outcome of eternal progress; 
strength is evoked not to enable one to walk over those less 
strong than ourselves, but for the purpose of helping them; 
teacher and pupil must ever make up humanity, however high 
up the ladder of existence we mount; there are always those 
above the highest and noblest of us, as there are always those 
whose feet are as yet on the bottom rung of the ladder. The 
very phrase the brotherhood of humanity, which is so much in 
the air today, and which finds more expression now than in any 
epoch of which we have any record, means that equality is 
impossible; “brother” carries inherently in it one elder or 
younger than another member of a family, and who dare deny 
the duty of the elder to help the younger? Even among ani¬ 
mals, with certain exceptions, this is a recognized principle, 
therefore how much more should it be so among human beings. 

So we have to abandon the idea of striving to attain, of 
violent effort. Energy is necessary, so is ambition, zeal, faith 
and belief, but none of these things are to be used in the or¬ 
dinary fashion. The spirit of serenity is the antithesis of 
strenuousness, and it is the strenuous life that is attempted by 
so many, and which yields so little in the bulk of cases. It 
is only as one learns to be serene that one knows that there are 
finer forces within us, and it is only by the co-operation of those 
finer forces that we can make the best use of our mental powers. 

It is supposed by many that this quality is possessed by 
successful business men, but it is only partially practiced, be¬ 
cause it is the surface of the mind which is used. Ask a 
successful business man if he could keep his mind on one thing 
for ten minutes, even money-making, or his business, or his 
favorite and most familiar thought, he would find it a tax. 
He might take half a dozen aspects of his business and think of 
each in turn, but this would be a very different matter to taking, 
as is often done in the East, a flower, focussing the mind on it 
to the exclusion of every other thought for twenty minutes or 


34 


THE MASTER KEY 


more. That is Concentration, and the value of its acquisition 
is that the tentacles of the mind can be dug into any problem, 
however abstruse, when its nature is understood, and all that 
it contains will be given up, because it is impossible to with¬ 
hold it. 

I have elsewhere cited the case of a judge who knew posi¬ 
tively whether a witness was telling the truth or not, and he 
acquired this marvellous and desirable faculty by concentrating 
on truth as a virtue. He actually “thought up” all there was 
of truth, till he became truth itself. A lie to him set his nerves 
jangling, just as a drink-sodden man carries with him an 
atmosphere extremely obnoxious to any sensitive man, or wild 
animals in their natural state. Bostock, the well-known animal 
trainer, knew this and he found that a tamer in the habit of 
drinking was disliked very much by the animals, and his control 
over them was much slighter in consequence. 

To keep the mind on one point for two minutes is too 
arduous for many, and so long as there is this lack of serenity 
this will be so. Business or professional men who can concen¬ 
trate and who yet do not live the serene life simply force them¬ 
selves to keep their minds on whatever they want, and they 
waste their forces and become prematurely old and worn out. 
You often hear such people say at the end of the day that they 
are ‘Tagged out”; they have had a “hard day”; they have had 
many trying things; they may have got “worked up” about 
one or other matter. 

Work, it should be borne in mind, never tires one. It is 
the spirit in which it is done that wearies. Even laborious work, 
when adequate rest is permitted, does not make one tired. 
Have you never heard people say they were “tired of doing 
nothing?” Have you not yourself experienced a feeling of 
tiredness spending a wet day at home, or in very tedious com¬ 
pany? All of us have at some point or other of our lives 
felt thus. Invalids who make no greater physical effort than 
turning over in bed, complain of being tired out. What have 
they done to be fatigued? Well, the fact of being invalids to 
start with is proof positive of their not living according to law, 
so they may well be tired. Misused emotions, ill-governed 
feelings, bitterness of spirit, critical or other negative states, 
including worry, inharmony, fear, nervousness, hurry, all pro¬ 
duce fatigue, and the fatigue which springs from mental 
causes is always more keenly felt than from physical effort. 


THE GREAT GOSPEL OF OPTIMISM 


35 


The “born tired” type is no illusion; these people do genuinely 
feel tired, whether they work or not, and they are not confined 
to the masses either. If we did but know it energy in an 
unending stream is pouring into us every hour of the twenty- 
four, and few of us need be weary. I know the statement seems 
extreme, but students of Mental Discipline have proved it now 
for some time. A writer, who has produced several books, 
in five years, to say nothing of writing for one or two monthly 
magazines, says: “ I can now endure almost anything without 
feeling tired or worn, and my working capacity has more than 
doubled during the last few years; still I consider myself simply 
in the very beginning of this phase of the subconscious field.” 
If one is a sedentary worker he need not feel tired by poring 
over his work several hours in succession; all he needs is 
change, but this is a question we must not pause over at 
present, fascinating though it be. It is only introduced here 
as it has a distinct bearing upon the matter under consideration. 

It is not the “hard day ” then, that tires, but the spirit in 
which the work is done, and this frame of serenity introduced 
into the daily life will give a zest for what was once considered 
irksome, difficult, or even repulsive. The idea of fighting for 
one’s living must be banished, and the idea of coming into one’s 
own, of daily unfoldment, daily growth must be substituted. 
The notion of being overworked has got more common nowa¬ 
days because things seem to have moved more quickly of late 
years. This has arisen through so many more interests being 
introduced into life; the attention is necessarily more divided as 
a result. In this way one can see how imperative it is to grow 
out of this misconception and gradually substitute harmon¬ 
izing thought. Jangled nerves must be straightened out; you 
must not permit yourself to be put out by others or affected by 
what goes on in your own immediate environment. 

That it is unnatural attitudes of mind that cause weariness 
of body and not work anyone may prove for himself. If you 
have certain work to do which seems distasteful or difficult—it 
may be only looking for a missing receipt or letter, or turning 
out on a wet night to visit some one living a mile or two away— 
you maybe feel irritable. This feeling may lead to headache or 
even a sense of irritation, and irritation sets up molecular 
changes in the cells of the body. These changes are translated 
into “that tired feeling,” which advertisers of patent medicines 
are so fond of quoting to push their wares, and the whole body 


36 


THE MASTER KEY 


feels it. So, a sleepless night, though the body lie eight or ten 
hours, will tire one on account of the toxins created in the 
tissues. 

Tiredness, in many cases, is simply fatigue poisons gen¬ 
erated in the body and has not the slightest reference to the 
amount of labor performed. 


j 


Stiff Master Sfjj 

CHAPTER VI. 

LESSON FIVE. 

THE ABOLITION OF WORRY. 

THE ACQUISTION OF SERENITY AND 
MIND POWER. 

The mental picture-making faculty which most minds pos¬ 
sess should always be pressed into service where it is desired to 
either create any new faculty in the mind or to strengthen a 
weak one. Direction is the one thing that is lacking in regard 
to our forces. Our heart beats “of its own accord” we say; the 
lungs act similarly, and we suppose that thought processes can 
initiate themselves and do their work without our interfering 
with them, but this is not so. Where energies are vigorously 
functioning every moment of the twenty-four hours they need 
direction, otherwise being highly imitative they copy whatever 
actions they may have just performed. That is what con¬ 
stitutes worry. It is going round and round in the vicious 
circle, coming to the same spot each time, so that no problem 
is ever solved by worry, because the solution lies outside the 
circle. We do not come across anything new, and it is the new 
we want when endeavoring to get out of a difficulty, or to solve 
a perplexing problem. Life seems largely made up of these 
problems, and it is because of our want of success in removing 
them from one’s path that so many stay where they are. Many 
pursue the same course year after year, following in the same 
old groove. They are conscious of not making headway; they 
feel that they are only marking time, yet however much they 
may desire to strike out they are thwarted by these problems, 
and they move once more in the circumscribed orbit. 

The mental picture-making faculty must be set to work . 
If the student wants to learn how to concentrate, he must get 

37 


38 


THE MASTER KEY 


hold of the tools needed in preparing the way for it. If a man 
does not know that he possesses a thing he cannot expect to 
achieve something only to be accomplished by the aid of that 
something. Thus we have men and women who could be bril¬ 
liant, if they would, who could be clever if they wished, who 
could be much more than they are, but if they think that all 
they are is present in their consciousness now they cannot use 
the auxiliary which would help them so wonderfully. A man 
who wanted to be wealthy might, by working long hours, exist¬ 
ing on the barest necessaries of life, wearing his clothes to rags, 
never having a holiday, never helping anyone or anything, 
content to live in a garret, being miserly in the extreme, amass, 
after many years, a big sum of money. He could accomplish 
the same thing, with infinitely less labor, no privation, enjoy 
himself thoroughly, widen out his character instead of cramp¬ 
ing it, and give pleasure and profit to many. The strenuous 
and toiling path always has its counterpart. 

The student has been shown here the need for a wholesome 
state of mind before he can do much. The abolition of worry, 
the acquisition of serenity, the lessening of the number of 
activities, the tendency of the simple life, has severally been 
brought under notice, and as one wheel cogs into another so 
this practice of sketching out the mentality as he would like 
it will help him or her considerably. By seeing it as he would 
like it he gives less attention to the actual state of the mind, 
so that whatever weaknesses there may be by not being empha¬ 
sized, as they are in the daily life, will gradually pass from the 
consciousness. As this takes place, the conditions which the 
student would like to see in his mind will slowly become estab¬ 
lished, and here one mental law will be of service to him. 
Mental matter is always in the state of building: something 
is always being constructed, and it is invariably modelled on 
the pattern set it by the image-making proclivities of the mind. 
As the mind dwells on one set of images by another great psy¬ 
chological law the energies surge to the center thus created 
for the moment. Thinking always sets up increased activity 
in the. consciousness, and as the mind pictures what it needs, 
what it would like, more and more energizing factors come 
along. These energies seek to build up the pictures furnished, 
and provided those pictures are not altered and modified re¬ 
peatedly they will become concrete: that is to say, they will 
set in motion those forces which will externalize the ideas 


THE ABOLITION OF WORRY 


39 


contained in the mind, for as so frequently pointed out the 
outcome of all thought is action, the bringing to the surface 
what has previously gone on underneath it. It is the result 
of the thought. Just as all we see around us in the universe is 
the effect of a cause, and not that cause, so all physical actions 
are the effects of causes set up in the mental and spiritual 
worlds. Seeing that it takes little more labor to image the 
mentality as we should like it we might as well idealize our 
images, however far short of such ideals our minds may be at 
the present moment. Let us see ourselves performing those 
things we habitually do in the most perfect manner possible; 
if we are not able to concentrate let us see ourselves keeping 
our mind uninterruptedly on the point we wish to consider. 
There is a difference in seeing ourselves do this and actually 
doing it, and this will be understood later, but this preliminary 
practice will contribute its quota to the success we seek. The 
mind can only work to patterns; it cannot produce something 
on which the thought has not been working, so that the more 
clearly and more frequently the mind can be impressed with 
mental pictures of what is desired the more certain the out¬ 
come, the more sure that we shall realize what we set out to 
realize. 

And here it would be well to decide what is best for the 
time being. So many want this and that and the other, and 
think about each in succession that one set of mental pictures 
or ideas neutralizes the other. The habit of having a lot of 
unfinished work about is common on the physical plane, and 
the muddle it causes to all around is obvious; in the mind it is 
even more fatal, for it destroys the efficiency of the mechanism 
of the mind. No two people may feel the same need, so each 
should decide for himself as to what will most help him at the 
particular point of his success. Generally speaking, it is wisest 
to take the weakest trait and strengthen that by the laws 
enunciated herein. 

A common fault with the beginner in applied metaphysics 
is the desire to accomplish too much. When he learns the 
possibilities of mind, what he can become, what he can do, he 
wants to be everything all at once, and the forces of the mind 
tumble over each other in their eagerness to obey his desires. 
He rouses things up within the circumference of his mental 
powers, and great activity is manifest for some time. Often as 
a result a new idea crops up unexpectedly, and if he is wise he 


40 


THE MASTER KEY 


will act on it, but this should only be done when he sees clearly 
ahead the legitimate result of the action. This the habit of 
making images will do, and though he may make mistakes in 
his deductions at first he will mature his judgment, and later 
will rarely need advice from others as to the best course to 
pursue under given circumstances. The encumbering mental 
material must be got out of the way, a definite plan must be 
sketched, and then adhered to. By taking the weakest trait, 
refusing to see it as at all weak, but rather the highest state of 
efficiency you can conceive you begin a policy of constructive 
thought, and therefore strengthen it at the outset. Of course, 
if action is part of plan you must see that it is not lacking, 
otherwise you become a mere theorist, a dreamer. Action is 
nearly always concerned, it will be found, and however un¬ 
pleasant it ‘may be—and it nearly always is in these cases, 
because that is why it was not performed before, it must be 
resolutely carried out. The other faculties of the mind must 
co-operate with the desire to amend the weakness. If the 
action has an unpleasant aspect or character it must be looked 
at from quite another standpoint and thus rendered innocuous. 
It has this side, be sure, and it is for you to find it out. We 
give life to errors and then take the errors for truth itself, and 
therefore think we cannot get away from the residt. 

Mental or soul forces frittered away in a hundred different 
directions accomplish nothing, any more than the sun's rays do, 
but focus them by Scientific Concentration, and we know 
how intensified is the power that is expressed thus. If there 
is a weakness in the character and the mind pictures the op¬ 
posite virtue, strong and radiant, the gaps between where you 
now stand and the place you aim to be at will the sooner be 
filled up. Having materially strengthened the weakness, so 
much so that scarcely a trace of it remains one can then turn 
one’s attention to other sides of the character which need de¬ 
velopment, or the building in any side that will help us to 
secure this wider power of Concentration. Till we have that 
we shall content ourselves with repairing breaches, with 
strengthening our ordinary mentality, and leave the creative 
aspect of the new psychology for future experiments. 

Knowing what you want will indeed be a great gain, as it 
will conserve force, and that force can be turned into channels 
where it will accomplish our purpose more effectively than it 
would if diverted into first one channel and then into another. 


THE ABOLITION OF WORRY 


41 


This knowing what you want is one of the most tantalizing 
things in the world. Man being so much a creature of moods, 
unlike a rock or animal whose wants are few and therefore no 
ambition, he has a thousand and one activities, all of which call 
for expression at some point, and he spends most of his time in 
gratifying them. All the five senses demand gratification, and 
there are other physical activities which do not come in the five¬ 
fold division which quite as urgently seek gratification. Add to 
these the energies of the mind which are so much more numer¬ 
ous, though in the early stages of the life are not so articulate 
and insistent, and one begins to understand how complex and 
marvellous is man's composition. 

The greater part of the lives of many is spent in a more or 
less aimless manner. There is no plan laid down at the com¬ 
mencement, except in a very general way. Possibly the first 
thing that occurs to a youth after leaving school is that he must 
be successful in whatever calling he is to follow. Then later he 
may marry and assume family responsibilities, when a broad 
division occurs in the plan, and those dependent upon him claim 
his care. These two divisions, however, make up the ideal of 
his life, a hobby coming in as an additional energy of the man. 

But. apart from these natural “wants” numerous others 
arise from time to time. These are largely due to impressions 
from the without, what we call “circumstances.” Hopes, fears, 
desires, chase each other in quick succession, and all these 
alternatives although giving rise to a certain amount of activity 
do not educe a definite plan. 

Nearly all these moods are of the surface of the mind, 
and it is one reason why one so seldom knows what one wants. 
This is not an enviable condition, and so long as mental action 
is confined to the surface so long will there be a blankness as 
to definite plans. The true mind can never work thus; there 
must be depth, and to secure depth one must try to feel die 
finer side of the mind. All thought must have an objective, 
and it is not by passing from one thing to another that this is 
gained. What might be called the metaphysical attitude must 
be adopted, because in that attitude do we perceive what we 
really want. 

This attitude is concerned only with those actions which 
take place in the depths of mind, which are detached from the 
outer, from the everyday side of existence, and as those states 
of the mind are contacted the man comes to know what is the 


42 


THE MASTER KEY 


real mind. He learns to know what he really wants, what it is 
he is capable of enjoying, of understanding, but so long as he 
lives and thinks like the majority so long is he shut out from 
those depths of finer mentality. As soon as they are contacted 
thoughts and action become complimentary in the true sense, 
and the thinker is enabled to secure what he really wants. 

Even the student of metaphysics is not exempt from the 
weakness of not knowing what he wants. He sees, perhaps 
twenty things he believes he wants, and works ardently at one 
—then another for a time, but through misapplied energy and 
want of knowledge he does not secure definite results. He does 
not perceive that only by knowing how the mind works, the 
order in which the various faculties of the mind are to be evoked 
and developed can he realize what he seeks. Trying to stimu¬ 
late first this, then that faculty, with spasmodic prods here 
and there, may result in increased activity of the faculties 
involved, but this is not what one should seek, for as soon as 
the result of the prod or stimulus has been exhausted they sink 
back to their normal level. By co-ordinating the forces and 
activities powers are awakened that are practically self-acting, 
and once worked they continue the work begun. 


utyp Haster 2Cnj 

CHAPTER VII. 

LESSON SIX. 

SELF-CONTROL AND SELF-RELIANCE. 

MOTIVES CREATE INTEREST. 

It is true that what each seeks will differ, but it is possible 
that one might plunge about for years before finding out just 
what he did really want, and under such circumstances there 
is one course which is safe. It is more than this: It is wise, 
and will appeal strongly to the earnest student because it will 
develop great Self-Reliance, Poise and a feeling of Power. 

It is this: Practice Thought-Control and Concentration 
several times a day until you become possessed of Calm Confi¬ 
dence, and are thoroughly convinced of the reality of Control 
of yourself, and of others. 

The fact that you have enrolled as a student of Concentra¬ 
tion and Will-Culture clearly indicates that your desire for a 
stronger Will is earnest. Therefore, let this earnest desire 
form the basis of the first exercise. 

(a) On a sheet of note paper write out a list of the rea¬ 
sons why you are taking up these lessons, also the benefits you 
hope to derive from them. Call this your List of Motives. 
These Motives must not be in any way general motives, but 
should be concerning matters in which you have a deep ab¬ 
sorbing interest, in fact, motives which will move you. Write 
with the greatest care. Put Strong Will into your writing. 
Feel that you are engraving these desires upon your Will, as in¬ 
deed you are. 

As you doubtless know from experience, resolutions though 
easily made are not so easily continued; but this List, by being 
frequently reviewed, will be found to form an excellent in¬ 
centive. This method of reminding oneself of one’s pledges 
is wonderfully effective, and when performed in the proper 

43 


44 


THE MASTER KEY 


spirit— with the earnest desire for Strong Will-Power —is one 
which can scarcely fail. Even one reading of the List will 
spur you on to greater effort should at any time your interest 
lag. By repeatedly reviewing these motives you will soon get 
to know them by heart, and so be able to recall them at will. 
As time goes on new motives will come to you. These, of 
course, should be added to the original List, as this will do 
much towards keeping your interest alive and fresh. 

To serve you as a guide I have mapped out a Specimen List 
of Motives. 

This List is by no means complete—as it is impossible to 
tell the whole of anyone’s private interests—but it will fur¬ 
nish you with sufficient material to make a beginning. 

Make it in the form of a resolution somewhat as follows: 

I (here write your name in full ) hereby firmly and sol¬ 
emnly resolve to do my utmost to strengthen and increase my 
present Concentration and Will-Power for the following rea¬ 
sons : 


I shall gain greater Strength of Character, so that my every 
thought, word, and action will be characterized with more 
power and purpose. 

I shall become more able to help those around me ( mention 
the names . of definite individuals, as this will make your mo¬ 
tive more interesting and personal; besides, having thought of 
others will keep your exercising from becoming a self-centered 
practice). 

I desire to create for myself an independent position* in 
life (mention definite position). 

I shall gain greater Self-Control and Self-Reliance. 

I shall be able to exercise greater control over others. 

My personal appearance will be greatly improved; my 
mouth and jaw will be stronger and firmer, and my whole 
bearing will denote greater Self-Confidence and Strength of 
Character. 


My powers of Concentration will be enormously developed. 

To the foregoing motives add others which touch you more 
personally, and about which you alone know. Always bear in 
mind that your motives must be powerful ones—regarding af¬ 
fairs which constantly engage your attention, and in which 
you take an engrossing and vitalizing interest. Use your own 


* Let the student read carefully the section “The Art of Getting Rich " 

Opportunity m a New Light " in Chapter XXXVII , Lesson Thirty-five. 



SELF-CONTROL AND SELF-RELIANCE 


45 


words in writing out the List, but let them be forceful words. 
Infuse them with all the power and enthusiasm you can com¬ 
mand. Write with the thought firmly in mind that your suc¬ 
cess in Concentration, Mental Discipline and Will-Culture 
largely depends upon the strength and earnestness of your 
motives. 

Never be guilty of base or mean motives. Motives create 
Interest; Interest invigorates the Attention; the Attention is 
the life-blood of the Will; therefore, the purer and nobler your 
motives are, the healthier and stronger shall be your Will. 

(b) The Will, like the muscles, can only be developed by 
exercise, and the development obtained depends very largely 
upon the amount of “consciousness” thrown into the exercis¬ 
ing. 

You know that when the arm is flexed in a purposeless 
fashion the biceps remain quite soft, but when the same action 
is performed with “will” the muscles are made to stand out 
hard and firm. You are also aware that regular practice of 
this exercise in this manner will quickly develop the muscles 
used. 

Similarly, when any daily duty is carried out in a listless 
manner it lacks vigor and force, but when performed with At¬ 
tention, strongly willed, the action is characterized with a 
strength and purposefulness which makes it as vastly differ¬ 
ent from the carelessly performed act as the firm muscle is 
from the flabby one. Moreover, continued practice of this 
willed Attention assuredly develops the Will, because in sum¬ 
moning and holding the Attention to the task the Will is ex¬ 
ercised, and thereby increases in strength and flexibility. 
Therefore, development of the Attention means development 
of the Will. 

In everyday life you have a never-failing supply of oppor¬ 
tunities for practice of willed Attention, viz., when you are 
working, or perform any similar act of the daily routine. In¬ 
stead of performing these acts in the usual perfunctory man¬ 
ner, you should infuse them with ‘life” by calling forth the 
Will to focus the Attention steadily and strongly upon them, 
at the same time earnestly affirming, “I Will to do this act 
quickly yet carefully.” 

Interest is the key to Attention, so should any of these 
seemingly unimportant acts fail to possess Interest you must 
create it by surrounding the act with thoughts which are of 


46 


THE MASTER KEY 


interest to you. Thus, say to yourself, “By attending stead¬ 
fastly to this act I am strengthening and increasing my Will- 
Power and Concentration.” Recall and apply any of your 
other motives, and your interest and attention in the task are 
certain to increase. 

(c) You are possessed of a power which is invaluable— 
namely, Calm Confidence. By Calm Confidence is meant the 
power of performing every act in a calm, confident manner, 
so that you are able to accomplish with ease that which was 
formerly well-nigh impossible to you. You can experience 
this Mood of Calm Confidence by experimenting with exer¬ 
cises given herein. 

Be seated; close the eyes, and let there come flowing into 
your mind peaceful, inspiring thoughts, such as— “I feel much 
happier ” “I am confident that I can accomplish any task ,” 
“Why, life is so good, so grand, so glorious and beautiful that 
I cannot feel other than confident and perfectly happy. )f 

Repeat these and similar affirmations, each time with re¬ 
newed earnestness, and you will find that, as the thoughts 
take hold, your eyes will brighten, you will sit up, draw in a 
deep, full breath, and bring the shoulders back. Your whole 
body will seem vitalized and tingling with a new-found 
strength, and you will feel capable of accomplishing any 
undertaking. You will experience the Mood of Calm Con¬ 
fidence. 

Lay aside everything else and give this exercise a fair 
trial. . Perform it earnestly and conscientiously, and you will 
experience that buoyancy of mind and body which comes only 
when you feel thoroughly confident of success. 

Now, this power of Calm Confidence is within you, for it 
can be brought forth, and persistent practice is all that is re¬ 
quired to make it permanently one of the features of your per¬ 
sonality. Cultivate this state of mind assiduously, and you 
will be repaid a thousandfold for the time expended upon it. 

(d) When feeling depressed and out-of-sorts you have 
doubtless noticed your breathing is shallow, short and jerky 
—just sufficient to keep the lungs supplied with as much 
oxygen as will keep you existing. But when you feel capable 
of accomplishing any task, when certain of success, or when 
elated over some specially good news, notice how the breath¬ 
ing is affected—it becomes fuller, deeper, more rhythmical, 
and more invigorating. Now, while it is true that your state 


SELF-CONTROL AND SELF-RELIANCE 


47 


of mind has this wonderful effect upon your breathing, it is 
also true that your breathing exercises a remarkable influence 
over your state of mind. Proper breathing is one of the great¬ 
est aids to Strong Will, because better breathing means better 
health, and one s Will-Power depends very largely upon one’s 
state of health. In this connection the following breathing 
exercise is simply invaluable for its all-round benefits: 

Breathe in deeply, quietly, unhurriedly, and rhythmically 
through the nostrils, affirming, while doing so, “I am inhaling 
health-giving oxygen and greater Will-Power.” Hold the 
breath, and affirm, “I am absorbing Health and Will-Power.” 
Now exhale fully, with the earnest affirmation, “1 am breath¬ 
ing out all bodily weakness and weak Will.” Do not go 
through this exercise in a casual, matter-of-fact manner else 
you will lose its undoubtedly great benefits. Live the thoughts 
you are suggesting to yourself. Let yourself feel and realize 
the sensations which the thoughts are bound to create, and 
very soon you will be the possessor of an increased supply of 
the powers upon which you have concentrated. 

Practice this exercise at least twice a day—in the morning 
when you wake and at night before going to sleep. It can 
also be practiced any spare moments you have during the day, 
and will be found to possess great health value, apart from its 
immense value as a Will-Power builder. 

(e) In the development of Will a certain amount of en¬ 
ergy is expended; therefore, in order to avoid unnecessary 
fatigue, economy of energy is essential. This is achieved 
through the practice of Muscular Relaxing, which removes 
the possibility of overstrain and also enables you to perform 
more work with less fatigue than formerly. Try the effect 
of the following simple exercise: 

Be comfortably seated. Inhale a deep, rhythmical breath 
which will vitalize your whole body. Now exhale fully and 
very slowly. As you exhale let the body thoroughly relax, the 
head drop forward, the arms fall listlessly to the sides, the 
fingers lose the stiffness, and the face be free from all tension 
so that you look and feel thoroughly limp . Close the eyes, as 
this will help you to realize more fully the sensation of sleep 
and rest. Hold before the mind a picture of Perfect Quiet¬ 
ness. Carry the thought, “I am receiving and absorbing 
Power from this delightful peace.” Again inhale, but do not 
change the body from this limp position. Relax even more 


48 


THE MASTER KEY 


fully than before. Inhale and relax a third time, after which, 
again inhale, but, in so doing, bring the body up and the shoul¬ 
ders back as in the original position. 

As is obvious, the foregoing exercise, to be performed cor¬ 
rectly, requires the privacy of your own room, but quite an 
amount of small practices can be had any time throughout the 
day without their being noticed. Thus, during your spare 
moments, cultivate the habit of slightly relaxing. You cannot, 
of course, become limp as in the Relaxing Exercise proper; 
just let yourself become less tense all over. 

Besides being great helps in the economizing of energy, 
these relaxing exercises possess exceptional value as tonics for 
jaded and overwrought nerves, and will do much towards de¬ 
veloping the Mood of Calm Confidence . 

The foregoing comprises the student’s exercises for this 
lesson, and they should be performed daily until results are 
obtained. 

Perform the exercises as follows: 

First, read over your List of Motives three times every 
morning and evening (see par. A). 

Second, perform throughout the day four or five acts with 
Willed Attention (see par B). 

Third, summon the Mood of Calm Confidence several 
times every morning and evening (see par. C). 

Fourth, perform throughout the day several acts with Calm 
Confidence. 

Fifth, perform Breathing Exercise several times every 
morning and evening (see par. D). 

Sixth, perform Relaxing Exercise five times every morn¬ 
ing and evening (see par. E). 

Before commencing each Exercise earnestly affirm—“1 
WILL to gain Strong Will-Power.” 

The performance of one exercise will, of course, indirectly 
help the performance of the others, but when you have got¬ 
ten well along you must consciously endeavor to blend the ex¬ 
ercises, that is, when performing one, try to embrace all the 
others. Thus, when reading your List of Motives, inhale 
deeply, and summon Calm Confidence and Attention. When 
exhaling, slightly relax. 

While going through the Attention and Calm Confidence 
Exercises inhale fully, and at the same time recall a strong 
Motive. Perform the acts with the Moods of Calm Confidence 


SELF-CONTROL AND SELF-RELIANCE 


49 


and Willed Attention held strongly to the fore. Slightly re¬ 
lax each time you exhale. 

In the Breathing Exercise inhale deeply and rhythmically, 
while affirming some strong motive. Inhale, absorb, and ex¬ 
hale with Confidence and Attention. Exhale very fully and 
relax slightly. 

During the Relaxing Exercise inhale deeply. Recall strong 
Motive. Feel you are relaxing with Confidence and Attention. 

Perform these exercises the same number of times as dur¬ 
ing the first fortnight. 

As you develop the knack of performing the exercises 
conjointly as above, you will experience a growing feeling of 
Power. You will infuse Will into every act. The thought— 
“I WILL to gain Strong Will-Power,” by being kept per¬ 
sistently before the Mind will corrn to possess and dominate 
the Mind, thus enabling you to perform every action with 
ease and grace, whilst imbuing them with greater Intelligence, 
Vigor, and Will-Strength. 

By regular practice of the exercises in this Lesson, your 
thinking powers will be greatly quickened, and your power 
of Observation wonderfully developed. Consider the impor¬ 
tant part observation plays in your life. Your actions depend 
upon it, because before you can act you must desire; before 
you can desire you must be aware of the things to desire, and 
in becoming aware you must use your powers of Observation. 

Besides giving your face an added appearance of Strength 
of Character and Will-Power, the practice of this exercise 
will undoubtedly develop your Self-Reliance. It will make 
you feel more master of yourself, and able to judge matters 
in a much clearer, calmer and more collected manner. 

By conscientiously practicing the Exercises in this course 
of Lessons, you are certain to develop Will-Power and Self- 
Control. With increased Self-Control and Will-Power comes 
greater control of others, because, in conquering and training 
the latent and oftentimes rebellious faculties of your mind, 
you are creating that Strength of Character, and that Person¬ 
ality which hold such great influence with others. 

Your thoughts will be imbued with greater strength, your 
speech characterized with more convincing forcefulness, and 
your actions fuller of confidence, vigor and purpose. Thus, 
others will be made to recognize your Power so that they will 
give you their respect, esteem and confidence, and will seek 


50 


THE MASTER KEY 


your co-operation and aid. It is most gratifying to experi¬ 
ence the development of this Power of Personality, and you 
shall find this one of your greatest encouragements and incen¬ 
tives to continue the study of Concentration, Mental Discipline 
and Will-Culture throughout life. 


ulltp iiaatfr 2Cej} 


CHAPTER VIII. 

LESSON SEVEN. 

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL MOMENT. 

The student has now arrived at the point where he can 
consider Scientific Concentration more closely, and the lessons 
contained in Part Two will show its practical application in 
self-development and Mental Discipline. The necessity of 
harmony, freedom from worry and all negative conditions of 
the mind, the creation of interest have cleared the way some¬ 
what. There is a very prevalent opinion that there will not 
be much success unless we screw up the will and literally force 
ourselves to keep our mind on whatever it is that we seek; 
for this reason the efforts of so many have been fruitless. For 
one thing the will is scarcely developed in many people; then 
they do not know how to rouse or use it, while the exercises 
practiced have been ill-chosen. 

The first fact necessary to emphasize about Concentration 
is that thousands of attempts are essential to perfectly succeed 
in it. This statement looks appalling at first, but it need not 
deter any sincere student who has made up his mind to master 
the subject. If it were like taking lessons in some subject, and 
the student had only one lesson a day or every other day, the 
time required to become proficient in the subject would require 
many days, involving innumerable hours of work. If one re¬ 
members one's early attempts to master Euclid or algebra one 
knows how hopeless the task seemed of ever grasping the prin¬ 
ciples underlying them. Yet eventually the obstacles were, .by 
the earnest worker, successfully surmounted, and so it is with 
Scientific Concentration and Will Culture. No earnest stu¬ 
dent of it ever fails to obtain the Master Key, but with some 
the efforts require a longer period than with others. 

It is not easy to find a more apt simile of the human mind 
51 


52 


THE MASTER KEY 


than the eastern one which regards it as a wild, restless horse, 
ever seeking to go its own way rather than the way its rider 
desires it to take. Persuasion accomplishes more than force on 
more plans than one, and this is very true of the mind. Keep¬ 
ing ever at the hack of the mind what it is we seek we say to 
ourselves, f( I am not going to think of anything else Of course, 
mind rebels; it has always been accustomed to have its own 
way till now, and cannot understand the curb placed upon it. 
It rears, kicks against the fetters imposed upon it, but that 
which is now for the first time almost opposing it is steadfast 
—has a definite purpose in view and is not to be lightly turned 
aside from it. 

When the mind finds itself thwarted it calls upon the senses 
to help it to overthrow the restraint placed upon it, and hear¬ 
ing, seeing, feeling, become suddenly preternaturally alert. The 
man becomes very much alive; he knows that within him a 
titanic struggle is being waged, and he decides that he will not 
relax for a moment or so, keeping the idea before him that he 
will let his mind go its own way, not because it wants, but 
because he, the real master of the mind, thinks the lesson has 
been learnt. He knows that though he could break its spirit 
he would have broken all there was in it, just as in the case of 
the restive steed. The mind is there not to break, but to train, 
which is very different . So he takes his attention off the sub¬ 
ject he has been holding the mind to, but the lesson is not ended 
yet. He merely turns the thought to another subject for a 
couple of minutes, a subject chosen previously. When he has 
calmly considered this to the exclusion of any alien idea he 
drops it, and then permits the mind to go its own course. 

This will be done daily, and despite any shortcomings on the 
part of the student in the initial stages he will certainly find he 
is getting some control of his mental mechanism. 

Going back to what has been said regarding serenity, absence 
of fear and worry, the harmony, the lessening of activities „ 
knowing what is really being aimed at, a feeling of confidence 
is certain to be born, and as this slowly possesses one there will 
begin to be created a mental atmosphere quite different to any 
experienced in the past. 

Rhythm runs through all Kingdom of Nature, the mental 
part no less than the physical, and the automatism of the mind 
which was responsible for the want of ability to concentrate will 
first of all be broken up and then re-grouped in accordance with 


THE PSYCHOLOGICAL MOMENT 


53 


the pattern presented to it. New vibrations will be set up, Will 
Culture begins to take place, and if the reader can manage to 
set apart a certain hour daily for Concentration practice all the 
better. Children and animals get sleepy at certain periods, so 
that one might set one's watch by them, just as flowers open 
and close their petals at exact times. Even adults know meal 
times without the aid of clocks and watches, and plenty of func¬ 
tions are quite automatic in themselves. We are constantly 
reminded to take the path of least resistance, and in any train¬ 
ing of the mind regularity counts very much. The busy man 
well understands this in the pleasant hours spent at home after 
business, every care thrown off, and the mind at ease, con¬ 
tented. This does not apply to all, I know, and it is a pity it 
does not, because it so easily could. But, all the same, there 
are many men and women to whom it does, and they will un¬ 
derstand what I am endeavoring to show—that rhythm uncon¬ 
sciously enters into one's daily life. When the student has com¬ 
menced to practice he finds that each time afterwards he takes 
it up or repeats it it becomes easier, because all the faculties 
concerned in it get ready for it, look forward to it, so to say.. 

Further than this, new interests will almost inevitably arise; 
ambition will be strengthened, and Concentration will come 
quite naturally. When any new ambition, or a new conception 
arises in the mind desire at once comes to the front, and when 
desire is awakened in us all the forces of the mind are increased 
and become more alert. Just as a football enthusiast would 
throw more energy into a game than would be expended in a 
day’s work, and yet not feel as tired, so when strong desires 
can be aroused in a man he has little difficulty in concentrating. 

It is a psychological law that the use of a faculty to its 
utmost increases its capacity, and so we find once more that 
after the steady daily application the mind rests easily on what¬ 
ever subject we place before it. This does not mean that we 
shall abuse it, and practice gazing at black spots on the wall for 
twenty minutes at a stretch, as taught by so-called professors of 
New Thought, Hypnotism, etc., etc. This will lead to a weary¬ 
ing of the mind’s forces, because the mind would not volun¬ 
tarily take up gymnastic stunts of the above nature. Where 
there is no real objective, where the mind is not legitimately 
fulfilling its function there is a sense of the mental powers being 
forced, and where this is the case the true forces are diverted 
into unnatural channels, and they work against the grain. This 


54 


THE MASTER KEY 


tends to a disruption , a disorganization of the mental mechan¬ 
ism. 

Success in Concentration is dependent upon the attitude 
which the mind takes up. There may be a praiseworthy attempt 
to feel that it is an admirable experiment to gaze fixedly at a 
spot with the mind fastened on it like a leech, but behind this 
there is the consciousness that it is only an experiment, a means 
to an end, and the utter artificiality of it creates an antagonism 
which will use up a certain amount of force and defeat the 
object we have in view. A doubting or dissatisfied attitude will 
positively bar success, and tend to produce either a feeling of 
indifference or disgust for Concentration or Will Culture, and 
this if allowed to go on will put the student back a long way. 
This is a form of conscious Concentration. 


Stiff IHaatfr 2Cfg 

CHAPTER IX. 

LESSON EIGHT. 

UNCONSCIOUS CONCENTRATION. 

If you would make Concentration and Mental Discipline not 
only a success but a positive pleasure then carry it into every 
act of your life. This explains what was said above about its 
being necessary to make thousands of attempts to master the 
art. If Scientific Concentration is put into every act of the day 
then one would concentrate a thousand times in six weeks or 
less, and if one could practice it perfectly in a year it would 
be an immense gain. This is what might be termed Uncon¬ 
scious Concentration . 

Will Power can be used now, but not in the way so many 
advocate, in the helping of the mind on all subjects on which it 
is necessary. It will have been noticed that the words “The 
Master Key” figure in the title of this work, and no student 
will have had any difficulty in connecting the title with the 
mastery of “self” and things outside of “self,” such as circum¬ 
stances. Thus it is that the human will, in common with the 
other faculties of the mind, must share in the work of raising 
and transmuting the’lower nature by a study of Will Culture 
and Mental Discipline. 

At this juncture (unless previously dealt with in the earlier 
part of these studies) the student will be wise in deciding what 
he is going in for, what his aim is, what he intends to do with 
his possibilities, what faculties he particularly desires to train 
or evolve, and use the will to stir and prompt him to action— 
to keep him up to the mark. It will supplement his enthusiasm, 
it will steady too much zeal, too much one-sidedness, help him 
to keep a mental and moral balance, as the reins in the hands 
of a skillful horseman prevent the animal from stumbling. It 
is no light thing coming to a decision with regard to one’s 

55 


56 


THE MASTER KEY 


ideals; it takes time to grow to the point where one’s future 
becomes an ideal, which is something ahead of the average 
mind. An ideal is too frequently associated in the mind with 
something visionary, something all very well for the dreamer, 
the poet, but of no use to the practical hard-headed business 
man or the intelligent woman, or even the average individual. 
Therefore with too many people we get no ideals, unless we 
apply the term to “making provision for the future,” and pay¬ 
ing one’s debts—not a bad thing in its way. No one can go 
very far, however, without ideals of some kind, but it is not 
for the writer to lay down to the student of Mental Discipline, 
Will Culture and Scientific Concentration what these should 
be. Everyone must form his own. It is almost certain 
when he has dipped into the New Psychology a little 
he will be fired by the same enthusiasm, the same keen¬ 
ness to progress, to widen his outlook, to aim higher, to culti¬ 
vate ambitions he dare scarcely have whispered to himself a 
short time before. It is a rule, in fact, for those coming in 
touch with Mental Discipline and Will Culture to have kindled 
within them what almost amounts to a new sense, a desire to 
express themselves along new lines. It is as though they had 
suddenly discovered a new sensation, or unexpectedly come 
upon a country whose existence they had never imagined before. 
What frequently happens in these instances is that the interior 
depths of the mind have been touched and they give rise to vi¬ 
brations that shake the whole of the mental vehicles and initiate 
changes that lead to an almost new life. 

To find out what your strong points are go back to your 
childhood and see in what direction your tastes lay. It may 
require a few moments daily to get the retrospective habit work¬ 
ing smoothly, but it can be got to work in this direction, and 
each day will find recollection of one’s early days more vivid. 
It has often been remarked by people that they can remember 
trivial incidents that occurred twenty or thirty years ago, whilst 
they have great difficulty in recalling matters that are really of 
importance that have only taken place a few days before. One 
reason for this is that in childhood impressions being naturally 
fewer are deeper. 

When the tastes of early life have been re-discovered the 
student may see if they still lie in that direction, and if so he 
can set to work by constructive thinking to get the new vibra¬ 
tions to work. 


UNCONSCIOUS CONCENTRATION 57 

The mind is always churning something over, hence if al¬ 
lowed to go its own way it invariably thinks injurious and use¬ 
less thoughts. From these we get tendencies, many of them of 
a negative character, and from this we see the creation of 
destructive forces. It is just as easy to turn these forces to con¬ 
structive work as the reverse. 

To get the whole power of the mind it is necessary to get rid 
of the idea that the mind must work along the lines that it has 
always gone, because by thinking of the mind in this fashion 
we limit its possibilities. 

If you were exploring a strange country and instead of 
going into the interior you contented yourself by sitting down 
on the shore and looking round, surmising that the interior 
would not differ much from the littoral, then you would be lim¬ 
iting your knowledge of that country. 

It would only be by actively traversing the domain that you 
would gain a knowledge of the region. So, in the region of the 
mind’s mental domain, if you wish to work with the whole 
force of the faculties, powers and tools of the mind, they must 
all be brought under way. The mind being a creature of habit, 
and, as just said, perpetually churning thought as the cow 
chews the cud, it must have something on which to operate. 
If we become enthusiastic over the work in hand, as we ration¬ 
ally ought to do, we shall find no obstacles to the employment 
of all its powers in the art of Will Culture and Mind Training, 
as taught further on in this work. 

The mind can never do its best, however, so long as there 
is any underlying current of dissatisfaction, any factor which 
can in any way vitiate it. There must be perfect tranquillity, 
for one thing; then there must be an intense and deep desire to 
gain the end in view, whatever it be. 

In this way do we obtain the co-operation of the various 
forces of the mind, which, while being one is composed of 
various parts; the interest of each aspect of the mechanism of 
consciousness is enlisted, and where the interest of all is con¬ 
cerned all move in one direction. This means harmony, and all 
harmonious movement is easy and rhythmical. There is no 
strain, one force does not move in opposition to another, and 
as a general result Will Power is generated. The whole of 
the force of the mind is engaged and there can consequently 
only be one direction in which it can move— forward. 

This is the psychological moment in which to practice Con - 


58 


THE MASTER KEY 


centration and Will Culture. An idea given to the. mind in 
such a condition will be gripped as by an octopus; it will be 
absorbed. By one of the laws of the New Psychology a thought 
placed in front of the consciousness, so to speak, is photo¬ 
graphed upon it; it is carried automatically to the sub-con¬ 
scious, and by another law whatever once enters the realm of 
the sub-conscious, be it strong or weak, positive or negative, 
good or bad, is beyond the control of the will even. The con¬ 
ception or thought must work out in the external life . It can¬ 
not lie forgotten in some dark recess of the human mind, but it 
takes its turn, and affects the normal mind. Here is the secret 
of “moods.” People regarded as level-headed and sane do 
things which astonish those who know them best. During some 
unguarded moment they have given way to some impulse and 
entertained an inimical thought, which they have fructified 
unwittingly with will, desire, and Concentration, and the result 
has been appalling. Remorse for these “lapses” brought out by 
ignorance of the laws of the mind only too realistically brings 
home the danger. 

The bearing of these laws on one’s affairs of life is to 
make the reader the more careful as to what thoughts he enter¬ 
tains. Knowing something of the apparatus of the mind, he 
will be careful to avoid admitting conceptions which are de¬ 
structive. The mind at times seems filled with activity, and 
at such moments he will convert such conceptions into con¬ 
structive ideas. He will know that if he wants “inspiration” 
to do a certain piece of work now is the time to take the oppor¬ 
tunity. Shutting out everything but the idea on which he is 
intent he will close all the senses, wherever he is, hold down 
the mind to the one theme with which he is dealing, and it will 
fill the channel thus prepared. 

The practicality of Concentration and Will Culture in daily 
life will be obvious. Every human being, however humble the 
niche he may fill in the great social scheme, has some duty or 
service to perform, and only as it is perfectly fulfilled does he 
honestly discharge it. But it does not end with this perfect 
fulfilment. The performing of an action perfectly creates the 
ability to do more; the faculties concerned by their more per¬ 
fect functioning place all their elements in a position which will 
admit more force, make them more capable of carrying out 
their natural functions, and energize the cells of these mental 
atoms, if the term may be permitted, so that there is an inrush 


UNCONSCIOUS CONCENTRATION 59 

of the great life wave which pulses throughout Nature and 
ever seeks to ensoul whatever receptacles or channels may be 
provided for the purpose. 

It cannot be too widely known that Nature has an inex¬ 
haustible amount of what for a better expression we might 
designate “raw material ” which she wants to be “worked up,” 
and that man is one of the channels by which this can best be 
accomplished. The universal “urge,” called by other writers 
the “surge,” which is incessant, which is ever seeking expres¬ 
sion, because “to become ” is the keyword of all manifestation, 
prowls about, seeking admission through the doors man can 
open if he likes, and by obtaining that admission its purpose is 
achieved, for the forces and faculties it will then meet raise or 
transmute the original impulse. 


0lje Itater Krg 

CHAPTER X. 

LESSON NINE. 

METAPHYSICAL ALCHEMY. 

By * *metaphysical alchemy the “raw material or mind-stuff” 
is raised to another state, just as water is raised to the state of 
ice by one operation and steam to another. There is, in fact, 
a mental chemistry akin to physical, and the science of applied 
metaphysics deals with it. Any one familiar with philosophy 
knows that there is a general consensus of opinion that man’s 
will is free to choose in the highest aspect, though having chosen 
the result is beyond his power of recall, or to modify; man 
has his sacred centre into which nothing may enter without his 
bidding, and were.it otherwise he would be reduced to the level 
of a mere puppet, an automaton. 

Thus the life-wave which seeks further expression by the 
coming into contact with the mental attributes of man is com¬ 
pelled to wait till invited to enter. That is why evolution seems 
so slow in the cases of some people; they do not recognize that 
outside themselves is this mighty world-wave, a veritable realm 
of massive vibrations, which can only be tapped by a coming 
into harmony with them. By opening oneself to their entrance 
one takes on new vibrations and new ranges begin to come 
within the sphere of one’s mentality. The dynamics of thought 
show that the accession of new vibrations always means a fuller 
use of all the forces of the mind. It is by this accession that 
the absorption of knowledge becomes possible; the general way 
is to memorize certain ideas and to fall back on those ideas and 

* Metaphysics, Met-a-fiz-iks, s, the science which seeks to probe the 
inner secret, or logic, of thought or being as the basis of and prior to 
that which is merely phenomenal and cognizable by the senses. (Gr. 
meta. and physics.) 

* Metaphysical, met-a-fiz'-e-kal, a. pertaining or relating to metaphysics; 
analytic of pure being or thought; ontological. 

60 



METAPHYSICAL ALCHEMY 


61 


apply them to anything which seems germane to them. If we 
brought a mind alert to the fullest extent, intent on the ques¬ 
tion in hand, senses one-pointed, five merged into one, with 
the massed forces of the mind the consciousness would absorb 
the facts like a sponge taking up water. The tentacles of the 
mind would fasten themselves upon the information to be as¬ 
similated and make it its own a tithe the amount of time and 
a tithe the energy and difficulty. So, too, with memorizing* facts 
or committing long passages of poetry or prose to memory the 
task would become light and a real pleasure. Study ceases to 
be distasteful and laborious. The student settles to his work, 
knowing that he will be able to master whatever problems arise 
in his studies. Sleepless nights fade into the past and examina¬ 
tions are entered with confidence as to the outcome. An awak¬ 
ened intelligence brought to bear on whatever engages the atten¬ 
tion of the mind is enabled to grapple with and solve problems 
which have hitherto eluded the grasp. It is in this way that 
men like Edison, who have shut themselves in from intrusion, 
have successfully thought out perplexities, and made the world 
the richer for their labors. Gathering up the forces of the mind 
to a focus, in the silence, few questions remain shrouded in 
impenetrable mystery to the student. 

And in connection with study the student who wishes to 
obtain the best results along the line of acquiring knowledge 
should bring the physical into line with the mental to secure the 
best results. The mental powers are quickened a hundredfold 
by the observance of the lines laid down, but by obeying physical 
laws Concentration is rendered still more effective. It is well 
known that whatever part of the body is employed in any par¬ 
ticular work is supplied with extra blood to enable it to deal 
with it more efficiently. So the process of digesting demands 
more blood being sent to the stomach to accomplish it under 
the most ideal conditions. If, therefore, a man eats a heavy 
meal and attempts to apply the instructions for concentrating 
for any length of time the forces of the system become divided, 
and only half the power is given in each case. In China for 
thousands of years students preparing for examinations, which 
impose a severe tax upon the retentive faculties of the mind 
on account of having to be learnt by heart, lengthy and tedious 
passages from the writings of Confucius, Lao-Tse and other 
Chinese philosophers, are kept without food for long periods, 


*See part Four in regard to Memory. 




62 


THE MASTER KEY 


and shut up in little cubicles until they are proficient. Many 
great men often fast when engaged in abstruse calculations and 
scientific problems. Nearly all thinkers and many musicians in 
unraveling complex theories and puzzles have become lost in 
meditation and altogether have forgotten the demand of Na¬ 
ture for food. 

When, therefore, one has a more than usually difficult task 
let little food be taken prior to attempting its achievement. The 
writer will have occasion to revert to this question later, so will 
not seek to elaborate it more fully now. 

Concentration is many times used in a destructive man¬ 
ner. Specialists and medical men in asylums are among the 
classes who have fallen victims to adverse Concentration. 
Throat and cancer specialists have succumbed to the diseases 
they have so closely studied. The pathology of the complaints 
has been as familiar to them as measles would be to the mother 
of a large family. They knew every phase, every indication, 
knew what to expect and when. They worked out in their 
minds the whole history of the disease, and slowly con¬ 
structed it externally in their own bodies. The writer has a 
collection of newspaper cuttings giving these sad instances of 
the fatal power of a morbid, faulty Concentration for, like 
everything else in connection with the powers of the mind, 
Concentration is non-moral; it is power or force which may 
be used to promote health or generate disease; it is quite 
immaterial to it what the outcome is. And so the mind of 
a morose and morbid tendency gloats and fastens upon some 
form of self-destruction till, following the logical sequence f 
action succeeds thought. Many a victim of the drink or drug 
habit is really under the sway of Concentration and Auto- 
Suggestion put to the wrong use. Read the weird and grue¬ 
some stories of Edgar Allen Poe and you are almost forced 
to the conclusion that the end of such a genius could only be 
what it was. 

Fortunately, as just remarked, the number of those able to 
concentrate is comparatively few, but they emphasize the dan¬ 
ger and reality of this great power of the mind. The student 
need not hesitate to practice Concentration for fear he may de¬ 
velop into a monomaniac or some other monstrosity. Concen¬ 
tration is like a good horse: it is under complete control and 
can be relied upon to do only what is expected of it. All mental 
forces are edged tools, but the possession of them requires ex - 


METAPHYSICAL ALCHEMY 63 

pert knowledge of them as he envolves them, and so does not 
injure himself. 

Many diseases are caused, and, are the direct result of 
some form of Concentration, conscious or otherwise, weak 
or strong; it is giving attention to a thing for a shorter or 
longer period from time to time. When the religious devotee 
kneeling at the feet of a crucifix, her whole soul going out to 
the object of adoration and veneration, filled with intense pity 
and sympathy, dwells upon the wounds of nail-prints in the 
body of Jesus on the cross, she reproduces the stigmata on her 
own body in the corresponding part by her concentrated atten¬ 
tion, and blood will actively flow. 

The reason we have so many cases of chronic diseases is 
because attention passes from the conscious to the subconscious, 
which, in turn, reacts upon the ordinary mind, for whatever 
enters the inner regions of the consciousness must come forth 
as action and further thought, or tendencies which promote both 
thought and action. 

Whatever is given attention to in the mental world is thereby 
intensified , and whatever is intensified demands and is supplied 
with increased force. Thus Concentration for even a short 
time on disease increases its hold upon us. The aim of Con¬ 
structive Concentration and Will Culture is to fasten upon 
those states which promote healthy thinking, and by healthy 
thinking we secure a healthy body. Just as a sunbeam fall¬ 
ing aslant a darksome corner transforms it to something 
quite different, so Concentration turning upon a symptom im¬ 
parts new life to it, quickens it. Thus no one should allow their 
mind to dwell for a moment upon any weakness or imperfec¬ 
tion of any part of their body; instead of this, those physical 
states of harmony and equilibrium should be dwelt on to which 
reference has been made. 

Whenever the body feels buoyant, full of vim and energy, 
“fit,” turn the feeling to good account. Divert the attention 
from ordinary, commonplace channels, from the channels in 
which the mind spends most of its time. The idle, profitless 
thoughts that come and go through the chambers of the mind 
in an irresponsible manner will receive no encouragement, no 
impetus, no supporting force from the real mind, but instead of 
this, while the idea of being fully alive, in good form, is present 
the student should take the opportunity of gathering up a feel¬ 
ing of exhilaration, concentrate all the powers of the mind upon 


64 


THE MASTER KEY 


it for a few seconds. Thus centered, he should try to exclude 
any conceptions of weakness, shortcoming, disease, of any kind. 
He must shut out utterly from his consciousness all ideas of the 
existence of illness. Try to imagine, if you can, that the world 
in which you live is one vast garden, bathed in perpetual sun¬ 
shine, cooled by frequent showers of dew and tempered by soft 
zephyrs, the atmosphere laden with the most exquisite perfume, 
the music of birds filling the air and the joyous laughter of 
children and men, happy and contented in a world when pov¬ 
erty and sorrow were unknown. Have you not to confess such 
a conception of existence could not occupy the mind for more 
than a fraction of time, to be replaced by the usual view of life 
in which such an idealized and ethereal picture is only indulged 
in, if at all, as a contrast to the grim type of living which is 
today termed “reality” ? Now, just as it would be almost impos¬ 
sible to the average man to keep his conception of existence on so 
high a plane, so the student will easily understand that there is 
quite as much difficulty in conceiving a world in which disease 
or ill-health has no place. We have to take cognizance of this 
fact, and it is because of this that we begin to understand some¬ 
thing of the task we set for ourselves when we talk about con¬ 
centrating on an ideal state in which illness is utterly unknown 
and foreign to one’s ideas. It would be just as easy to imagine 
an ideal condition as that depicted above as mankind free from 
disease. 

Yet this is the view which must be aimed at if one wishes to 
reach the point where the word “disease” conveys scarcely any 
meaning to the ears on which it falls. If the term “disease” is 
familiar to you, then it means that that familiarity is a link be¬ 
tween you and it, and that you are very likely to attract it. There 
is a relationship between you and it, however remote it may be. 
You may not associate yourself with it, because you may have 
a constitution of iron, and have come off good old stock. The 
fact remains that you are conversant with the term, therefore 
disease does not strike you as being unnatural or strange, 
though it may be unpalatable, or even indifferent to you. You 
have heard it said that you can’t play with pitch without get¬ 
ting tarred, and so the contact with the word disease, whether 
striking upon the ear by means of the spoken word or the eye 
by means of the printed symbols makes a link between you 
and it, and circumstances strengthen this link from time to 
time. 


METAPHYSICAL ALCHEMY 


65 


If you have read even a few New Psychology books you 
know the baleful effect the word “fear” has upon the conscious¬ 
ness, and how through the word alone a character may be un¬ 
dermined or weakened, or rendered negative and therefore not 
at its best to bring forth the highest possibilities in one. The 
rapidity or quality of instantaneousness connected with thought 
(which is so aptly expressed in the phrase “a flash of thought,” 
applied similarly in the case of “a flash of lightning”) shows us 
how quickly a connecting link is made in the mind, which leaps 
from point to point with even greater velocity than lightning is 
possible. So “disease” arouses in the mind the idea of some 
one who has been or is now ill, and the possibilities arising 
from this condition. If a friend is ill, a friend you have been 
brought up with since a boy, as hale and hearty as you, why 
should not you be affected in the same way? You laugh at 
the idea, but the mind has made its connecting link the instant 
the conception arose, and it is strengthened from time to time 
by various means until it penetrates the deeper precincts of the 
mind, and the carroding canker begins its malignant work. 

Many in England are aware of how Lord Nelson when a 
boy did not know the meaning of the word fear, and the effect 
it had on his career in life. Suppose all men could all get the 
same notion of the word disease; that is, make themselves 
positive against it. Suppose one did not know, what it meant; 
then if it meant nothing to us when you heard it, it could form 
no link with your consciousness. This is not only good psy¬ 
chology, but it is good sense. If a thing is foreign to the mind 
it is practically non-existent. # 

The old story of the Plague setting out to Bagdad to kill a 
specified number of people will occur to many. On its return 
it was accused of having exceeded the number of its victims, 
“Nay ” replied the Plague, “it was not I who slew the extra 
thousands, it was Fear.” This story is always worth bearing 
in mind, because it happens to be very ancient, and therefore 
shows that many thousands of years ago the effect of mental 
stabs upon the body was well known; further, it illustrates.in 
a graphic manner the point the writer is contending for, viz., 
that keep a thing out of your consciousness; be fearless and 
positive, by training your mental and life forces to combat it, 

and it cannot affect you in the slightest. 

It is no use trying to delude ourselves that we could, abso¬ 
lutely obliterate the word from our mind so that we be ignor- 


66 


THE MASTER KEY 


ant of what it meant when we chanced to come across it, 
though a Hindu who had made a life study of Oriental Psycho¬ 
logy and Soul Culture would have no difficulty in doing so. 
What I mean is that you should expunge it from your diction¬ 
ary, in the same way that Napoleon abolished the word “im¬ 
possible.” In a word, ignore it; encourage the idea, however, 
that you can annihilate it in time. Every time it is forced upon 
your attention turn resolutely from it and substitute for it that 
magic word HEALTH. Believe in yourself for health. Con¬ 
centrate on it, absorb it, drink it up, and think it up into the 
inner recesses of the mind. Fill the mind with it to the exclu¬ 
sion of all else for the time being. Thus the intrusion of the 
word disease would be brief, it would be isolated instantly, cut 
off in a watertight apartment; an impassable gulf would be 
created, and in this way it is quite innocuous. A close study of 
this work will show the power of Concentration in cases of 
disease.* Many have seen cases of metaphysical healing where 
the healer has battled with it for hours with a consciousness 
literally steeped in disease, chronic cases of many years’ stand¬ 
ing. Many have marked the improvement as Concentration 
upon perfect health has been persisted in, how when the mind 
of the healer has been withdrawn the old conditions have re¬ 
turned. This may possibly have happened in the case of the 
reader, and if so I would counsel him by all means to retain his 
belief in constructive thought coupled with Concentration and 
truth Faith, despite a thousand lapses or more. The inability 
to “demonstrate” the truths of the New Psychology, Concen¬ 
tration and Mental Discipline is no proof of the falsity of the 
teaching laid down here. If one man out of a million proves 
it then it is the truth, and the others may do the same in due 
course. We all know of instances where truth has triumphed 
over error which expressed itself in the physical body in one 
form or another extending over some years. If the reader 
belongs to the invalid class, if he has contracted the illness, 
habit let him daily picture himself in absolute physical perfec¬ 
tion, concentrating believingly on what he desires. Have True, 
Intense, Deep and Sincere Faith. 

And here is a law which will be found serviceable to the 


*1 have treated this subject more fully in Chapter XXXIII., Lesson 
Thirty-one, “Concentration Applied To Health and Disease,” “The Psy¬ 
chology of Faith and Doubt.” See also, Chapter XXXIV., Lesson Thirty- 
two, “Concentration Applied To Fear And Disease.” 



METAPHYSICAL ALCHEMY 


67 


sickly and victims of negative thought: Every impression is 
a focussed energy. This means that by concentrating on a 
definite point we immediately create an impression, and this 
impression becomes a center of energy for the time being. If 
during that moment of Concentration we will that vitality or 
health shall enter that center of energy, that will actually take 
place, and in this way a diseased organ can be built up. Al¬ 
though one possess no knowledge of physiology or anatomy, 
one can always strengthen a weak organ or part of the body by 
merely bringing more energy to it, for wherever there is energy 
there is an extra blood supply, and this means the addition of 
new life to the part. 


®1jp iHaater Keg 

CHAPTER XI. 

LESSON TEN. 

THE CLAIMING OF YOUR OWN. 

Whatever you create by your thoughts is your own. If 
there is one aspect in which Concentration, Will Culture and 
Mental Discipline can be of help to you it is in the claiming of 
your own. First, as to your “own.” What is it? Whatever 
you create by your thoughts is your own. This is not coveting 
what some one else possesses, or begrudging the position of 
those who are more fortunately circumstanced than yourself. 
That is a species of imitation, and the work of the imitator is 
always more or less a failure. 

You create relationships with things when they are the chil¬ 
dren of our own imagination. An architect plans in his own 
mind a beautiful building and he transfers his ideas to paper, 
explains what he wants, and his wishes are carried out to the 
letter. The artist draws his picture first mentally in his mind, 
and his hand is only the transferring medium. The writer has 
not the space to explain all that Emerson implied when he 
wrote: 

“Whate’er in nature is thine own, 

Floating in air or pent in stone, 

Shall rive the hills and swim the sea, 

And like thy shadow follow thee.” 

The strange affinity between objects and human beings has 
long been a source of mystery. Many instances could be cited 
of people wishing they had certain things which they scarcely 
expected they would ever see, and how their desires have 
been gratified. You will be shown in this work that there 
is no legitimate way of getting anything without giving an 
equivalent, so if you wish to attract certain circumstances to 
yourself or yours you must first make the link between them 

68 


THE CLAIMING OF YOUR OWN 


69 


and yourself after the principals enunciated and laid down here. 
If a man does not properly relate himself to his circumstances, 
by having faith and the development of mental discipline, then 
there is inharmony, and the two have to part company. It is 
like the square man in the round hole, and your business in the 
Great School of Life and Business is to know just what you 
want, then make up your mind to secure it. Concentration here 
is of immense value. Having decided upon what the goal is, 
you must take the first problem which presents itself, go care¬ 
fully over the various aspects it presents, closing the mind as 
taught herein, to all that is irrelevant to the matter. It is sur¬ 
prising how a little practice along the lines of Mental Discipline 
enables one to almost instinctively select those avenues of 
thought which will give us what we seek. Do not worry about 
ways and means, your part is to decide on the principle and the 
immutable law of life will do the rest. 

A case in point may help to make this clear. Whilst writing 
this book an employee of a business firm related to the author 
how he got his first start. He had been “stopped”—discharged 
—at his work without any notice, and told there would be noth¬ 
ing for him for several months. It was a quiet time of the year 
and the corresponding period of the previous year he had been 
dismissed for a month. The firm had been in the habit of em¬ 
ploying in the busy season men with scarcely any experience, 
and to these they gave the usual notice. This was resented, as 
was the employment of these casual workers, which meant rush¬ 
ing work out in a brief spell, and then nothing to do for the 
regular employees later. This man had foreseen this and the 
customary stoppage, and wished to go into business for himself, 
so as to be independent of the firm, which only followed the 
tactics of similar employers in his city. He had no capital and 
no friends or influence; he had Concentration, faith and belief 
in himself, however, and while fully making up his mind to 
be his own employer he saw no means of accomplishing it. As 
he left the workshop on the Saturday noon, having received his 
dismissal, he was met by a man he knew who was a contractor 
doing a fair business. Exchanging greetings the workman 
mentioned he had just been laid off, and that all similar trades 
would be quiet for a time. “Have you never thought of start¬ 
ing for yourself?” asked the contractor. The man admitted 
that he had, but that he lacked capital. The contractor there 
and then offered him a contract which would amount to $ 500 , 


70 


THE MASTER KEY 


the money to be paid as the work was finished, though he 
pointed out that his usual custom was when a contract was 
given in that month (October) he did not settle for it till the 
following April. The offer was taken and the man never re¬ 
gretted it, building up a nice little business, which shows every 
prospect of healthy growth. 

THE LAW OF ATTRACTION. 

The fact of often thinking how the end in view might be 
attained had telapathically struck the contractor at an odd mo¬ 
ment when the mind was not particularly employed, and only 
a few moments before meeting with the workman. The work¬ 
man certainly thought it odd from the way he told the story. 
It seemed a strange coincidence to him, and a lot of similar 
“coincidences” would, if inquired into, be found to be instances 
of the Law of Attraction operating through its appointed chan¬ 
nels. 

Let a clean-cut mental image be made in the mind of what 
is desired, concentrate quietly for a few moments over it, and 
day by day repeat the process, adding details as required, but 
not materially altering the original. If it is an object you want 
do not see some one else’s and wish it yours, but see the thing 
quite apart from its setting and in your own house. Means will 
be forthcoming which will materialize the object, if mental 
discipline is gained and the principles laid down in this work 
are adhered to. 

If, on the other hand, one wishes to change their circum¬ 
stances they should not mentally picture themselves in sur¬ 
roundings utterly removed from their present position; that is 
to say, a man always accustomed to earn five dollars a week 
would scarcely be likely to see himself earning five hundred 
dollars in the same period, because, speaking generally, a man 
content with such a small amount as five dollars a week would 
scarcely be an ambitious, pushing fellow, and any other type 
would not be likely to make a mental leap to a sum a hundred¬ 
fold more than he had been in the habit of receiving. A man 
in such a position would be more likely to wish to see his income 
doubled or trebled, and in these circumstances he would the 
more easily bring himself into line with his surroundings. Try 
to imagine a clerk offered an appointment as an ambassador to 
a big European court. Would the man be at home with a 


THE CLAIMING OF YOUR OWN 


71 


diplomatic corps, or likely to shine in a piece of state-craft? 
No, the idea would never occur to the clerk himself, and if an 
enthusiastic but misguided friend got him pitchforked into the 
appointment we may easily conjecture the outcome of the ac¬ 
tion. Yet such a supposition would be on a par with the views 
one sometimes hears put forward by readers and beginners of 
the New Psychology who expect miracles instead of legitimate 
results compatible with the nature of the mental and psycho¬ 
logical efforts put forth. It is the question of proper adjust¬ 
ment between man and his surroundings, of a man relating 
himself, or coming into harmony with the surroundings he 
seeks to enter. 

Be perfectly sure that no one or no thing can keep your own 
from you, if you have confidence and faith enough in yourself 
to claim it. All is law, and skipping across wide gulfs is un¬ 
known. Get a clear-cut idea of the surroundings you believe 
you are cut out for, and step by step you will mount nearer to 
your ideal if you faithfully carry out the lessons laid down in 
this book. 

Reverting to the question of increasing one’s mental capac¬ 
ity, which was left for further consideration, the student 
throughout this work will be shown that he must gain 
Discipline over his mental forces and then use Scientific Con¬ 
centration to energize his brain, because with the calling into 
activity of more brain cells the mentality is made the richer, and 
in the meaning of life; this is progress. If the brain area is 
not increased a man stands still, or merely marks time, and 
this is what too many are doing. It used to be laid down as a 
scientific fact that the number of brain cells was limited, also 
that the whole of the brain was used. Recent researches of 
experimental psychology shows both conclusions to be erro¬ 
neous, and with regard to the latter the percentage of brain 
used in daily life is only five. What becomes of the other 95 
per cent ? And why should there be such a surplusage of brain ? 
Respecting the former this proportion lies fallow, awaiting cul¬ 
tivation, and reflecting upon the second question we come face 
to face with one of the most profound facts of the twentieth 
century, though no writer, so far as the author is aware, seems 
to have remarked upon it. It is this: Nature rarely supplies 
that for which there is not a use. Why should man have mental 
material many times greater than he wants ? It is because man 
has unfolded his powers to so small an extent. Evolution is 


72 


THE MASTER KEY 


moving forward very rapidly at present, and man will do the 
same, and require much more brain area than he has hitherto 
found necessary. Man's magnificent brain area and mental 
forces are waiting for cultivation. 

Faith, Belief and Scientific Concentration on the idea of 
expansion will awaken into vibration unused folds of the brain. 
As you concentrate on these dormant tracts affirm: “I desire 
that more and more of my brains shall be used." “That my 
mental forces will increase, and that I will have complete con¬ 
trol and mental discipline over them." Repeat this time after 
time, but not in a mechanical way, but full of the deepest feel¬ 
ing and faith in the expansion of consciousness. This thought 
should be given to the higher mind to store away on rising, a 
few minutes at noon, and again before retiring. After keeping 
consciousness for a moment or so on this unawakened center 
concentrate on it and see with the mind’s eye movements taking 
place in this new mass of grey matter. Several writers have 
stated that they have felt their brains move when they were 
full of ideas, or felt particularly full of vim and buoyancy and 
often after certain foods. 

Sometimes new ideas have produced excessive brain activ¬ 
ity, but this can only occur in those cases where the training 
laid down for stilling the brain has not been followed. Poise 
and power rightly go together. They are really complimentary, 
and until the student has had some measure of success with the 
former he is not likely to be remarkable in the latter. 

The uprising of new forces in the brain must be watched 
and trained in accordance with the instructions laid down 
further on in this work, and the faithful student will often be 
pleased to detect a feeling of exhilaration pulse through his 
mind, and he will know that mental virility and discipline is 
beginning to make itself felt. Originality and brilliancy are 
both possible where the conditions dealt with here are observed. 
When one mind follows another its thinking is commonplace 
and normal. Thinking along the same lines as other people 
never permits your mentality to expand far. 

Originality can only take place where the consciousness 
seeks the upper regions of the mind. In the lower are all the 
commonplace, ordinary types of thought. Just as the atmos¬ 
phere becomes rarefied at high levels, so the thoughts at high 
mental levels look at things from new standpoints. The imagi¬ 
nation dwells on these higher levels, and if one wishes to soar 


THE CLAIMING OF YOUR OWN 


73 


above the well-named common sense, in the realms of the finer 
senses he has only to train his imagination, which is always 
done when the mind tacitly admits that there are higher thought 
currents and wills that his mind may reach them. 

If a man expects to be always commonplace he will not put 
the mind in that position in which it can avail itself of the 
higher currents. The writer is always suggesting that the best 
books of all ages should be cultivated, as one will be weaned 
from the usual views of life and things, and see things through 
the eyes of great men. Indeed, to study the biographies of great 
men will not only prove an incentive to tread a similar path, 
but one will occasionally come across ideas which will illumi¬ 
nate Lord Roseberry’s phrase respecting Oliver Cromwell as a 
‘‘practical mystic. 5 ' Hitherto many people have considered the 
practical psychologist as a neurotic, unpractical day-dreamer, 
but the idea is gaining force that one can enter the highest 
realms of being of which the mind can conceive and bring there¬ 
from material that can be fashioned or adapted to the daily 
life. 

The views of later thinkers concerning genius have under¬ 
gone very great changes, and the most illumed minds now 
admit that the genius is no different in kind from his fellow- 
man, but only in degree. The man or woman that wishes to 
grow to the height of a genius can enlarge their mental capacity 
daily until they come in contact with the upper reaches of the 
sea of mentality, which is filled with the higher vibrations. 
Genius does not seem so far removed from us when we see 
how it is possible to mould character, master one’s weaknesses, 
and enlarge one’s consciousness and the more originality is ad¬ 
duced the more one tends to genius, as it is only a large measure 
of originality. The greater worlds around us, which we fail 
to cognize with our present limited senses, lie open to the 
inspection of those using what really is the super-conscious 
mind, the mind employed by all great men. This mind is only 
an extension of the everyday mind, the normal consciousness, 
much in the same way that the subconscious is. All who would 
attain beyond the present confines will find in Scientific Concen¬ 
tration, True Faith and Belief in one’s self for success, the 
Master Key to the Great Powers within the human soul and 
mind. 


31jp master JCrg 


part ©mi a 


CHAPTER XII. 

SCIENTIFIC CONCENTRATION. 

ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE. 

INTRODUCTORY TO PART TWO. 

Attention is the great puzzle of Psychology and Mental 
Science, and very few of so-called authorities can say what it 
really is. Like the term “Consciousness,”* it cannot be defined 
by some, while with others its meaning can only be indicated. 

Psychologists usually distinguish two kinds of Attention. 
First—Spontaneous, or Non-Voluntary Attention (as when 
something forces itself upon our notice), and, Second—Volun¬ 
tary, or Conative Attention. Now it is this Conative Attention 
—the striving after a definite end —which demands Concentra¬ 
tion. 

Concentration is therefore attention with a definite aim. It 


♦Conscience is a collective of moral conceptions developed into self- 
realization, which, at a given moment, exists in the understanding to 
serve as a guide for the proper actions and conduct of life. 

Some people have no conscience, while another has a tender conscience. 

Conscience in some often becomes atrophied, while in others it is cul¬ 
tivated and refined by individual and collective education and experience. 

Conscience, like character, varies in different individuals according to 
their religion, education and mentality. 

Business conscience is not always the same everywhere. 

There are business men in the rural districts and certain communities 
who are uneducated; however, commercial honesty is often scrupulously 
practiced among them. They, while not as well educated as some of their 
fellow men, pride themselves on their individual honesty. 

There is a class of city business men who, in spite of scientific, artistic, 
literary and commercial development, their moral conscience seems to have 
become atrophied. Again, among certain high class and successful business 
men, commercial honesty is proverbial. 

74 



ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 


75 


involves, First—Volition (Will-Power) both before and during 
the attention-process; Second—Self-Control, that is, the power 
to keep the body still during the Attention-process; Third— 
Thought-Control, that is, the power to exclude all thoughts 
that have no bearing upon the phenomenon or subject-matter 
to which you are attending; Fourth—The power to feel or 
create interest in the object of attention. 

Concentration may be said, therefore, to be a particular atti¬ 
tude of mind, popularly termed the attentive attitude, directed 
towards some conscious end. 

The scientific treatment of any subject should be of such a 
nature that it teaches us to observe accurately, to analyze and 
classify its facts; it must also be explanatory. This standard, 
so far as it is possible in a system designed for popular use, is 
upheld in this work. 

In one sense, this Course of Lessons may be said to be 
normative; that is, to define, or hold up a norm, standard or 
ideal of concentration; but primarily it is more on the lines of 
a practical science —it aims to teach the student “to know how 
to do;” that is, it lays down the rules for the attainment of 
Concentration and Mental Discipline. 

The power of concentration can be trained to a high degree 
of perfection, and the author can assure students that if they 
will practice the exercises contained herein faithfully, in a 
spirit of thoroughness and earnestness, they will soon find their 
power of concentration growing—a power which they can 
extend to all the activities of life. 

Students are admonished that there is no such thing as fail¬ 
ure if they are earnest and sincere. Success comes to the faith¬ 
ful. 

The student is reminded to study carefully the Lessons in 
Part Three on Attention, Observation and Interest; and also 
the Section on Fatigue in Lesson Seventeen. 

DIRECTION FOR PRACTICING. 

The student should practice each exercise in Lesson Eleven. 
When you begin studying Lesson Twelve omit practicing the 
exercises in Lesson Eleven (except Exercise No. i), and con¬ 
fine your attention to the exercises in Lesson Twelve only. 

Follow the same course when you begin studying Lesson 
Thirteen. Omit practicing the exercises in Lessons Eleven and 


76 


THE MASTER KEY 


Twelve, and confine your attention to the exercises in Lesson 
Thirteen. 

When you start studying Lesson Fourteen do as above, and 
confine your attention to the exercises in that Lesson. 

After you have gone through all the Lessons pick out from 
each Lesson the most important exercises, say one exercise from 
each Lesson, and practice these diligently each day for a month. 

When you find you have a grip of any one or two exercises, 
drop these and take up others, until at length you feel that you 
have a fair grip of all the exercises. 

You will find that you cannot possibly practice all the exer¬ 
cises each day, for it would demand all your time, therefore 
make a selection of those exercises which you find benefiting 
you, and gradually take up others as directed. 

As time goes on, endeavor to make exercises for yourself, as 
this will keep your interest fresh. Never let an exercise tire or 
exhaust you; let it alone for a time and take up one more con¬ 
genial to you. 

Remember, in all your exercising there must be no strain or 
tension of mind. Go about everything calmly and quietly; see 
that your breathing is natural, and never attempt to hurry 
results. 

Concentration can only be acquired gradually by faithful 
practice. Like every other study, it must proceed step by step. 

When you feel an exercise tiring you, drop it and take up 
another. Do not attempt too much at first; practice each exer¬ 
cise per day, for a few minutes only. 

Do not practice when your mind is on other matters; no 
good concentrative work is done then. You will find that the 
better your health the better you will concentrate; therefore, 
guard well your health. 

Do not let difficulties discourage you; if you are in earnest, 
you will overcome them in time. 

The most difficult stage in concentration, just as in most 
studies, is the elementary; after it is passed and a measure of 
control obtained, you will find concentration one of the most 
natural things in the world to you. 

Persevere then; conquer all difficulties, and you will say in 
the end, “It has been well worth the while 


Mn&tt r fog 

CHAPTER XIII. 

LESSON ELEVEN. 

SCIENTIFIC CONCENTRATION. 

ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 
SUMMARY OF LESSON ELEVEN. 

The object of the Exercises in Lesson Eleven is to calm both 
mind and body (which forms the basis by which you gain con¬ 
trol over both) ; to cultivate the Senses, and to acquire the 
habit of attention. You are thus introduced to Concentration 
in a simple and easy manner, asking nothing very difficult from 
you. 


Exercise No. 

1. 

Exercise No. 

2. 

Exercise No. 

3 - 

Exercise No. 

4 - 

Exercise No. 

5 . 

Exercise No. 

6. 

Exercise No. 

7 - 

Exercise No. 

8. 

Exercise No. 

9 - 

Exercise No. 

10. 

Exercise No. 

11. 

Exercise No. 

12. 


Relaxing Mind and Body_Page No. 

Concentrating on the Sense of 

Sight .Page No. 

Exercise in Attention.Page No. 

Concentrating on the Sense of 

Smell .Page No. 

Concentrating on the Sense of 

Hearing .Page No. 

Exercise in Attention.Page No. 

Concentration While Counting.Page No. 
Concentrating on the Sense of 

Touch .Page No. 

Concentrating on the Sense of 

Taste .Page No. 

Concentrating on the Nerves.Page No. 
Exercise in Voluntary Action.Page No. 
Concentrating on Sleep.Page No. 

77 


79 

80 

81 

82 

83 

84 

85 

85 

86 

87 

88 
88 











78 


THE MASTER KEY 


The student must endeavor to carry out faithfully the exer¬ 
cises in this Lesson, as all his or her building must be done upon 
it. Unless you obtain some measure of success over the exer¬ 
cises given in this Lesson, you cannot expect to succeed in the 
difficult exercises given in the following Lessons. 

In practicing the exercises on the Senses students are re¬ 
minded that the real object is not so much the development 
of the Senses, but rather the acquirement of the habit of atten¬ 
tion; that is, a particular mental attitude. Concentration, 
per se, has nothing to do with better hearing or better vision—» 
these are merely resultants. 

ESSENTIALS OF LESSON ELEVEN. 

In these “Essentials” your attention is drawn to the many 
things which you can concentrate upon in your daily life. Such 
practice will greatly aid you in acquiring the habit of attention 
and will tend to make easier the concentration demanded in 
study or in business. 

You are to pay attention to your unimportant acts, so that 
you may break away from habits which make it impossible for 
you to concentrate upon important matters. Begin from now 
to pay attention to the following little things: 

First —Pay attention while dressing, while you are putting 
your shoes on, while shaving (if a gentleman), while washing 
yourself, and while brushing your hair. 

Second —Pay attention while eating your food. Do not 
read while eating. If conversation is going on around you, and 
you are obliged to enter into it, do so, but with the main thought 
on the act of eating. 

Third —Pay attention while at your recreation. Drop all 
thought of business or study. You are out for enjoyment now, 
therefore take it easy—drop everything else and lay aside busi¬ 
ness affairs. 

Fourth —The important point in doing any of these things 
is to attend to one thing only. Thus, when dressing, do not 
wonder what you are going to have for breakfast, or how you 
are going to spend the day. Think these out, if you like, 
before you rise. Say to yourself: “I am dressing” (this directs 
the attention of the mind to the fact) ; “I must dress quickly.” 

You will be surprised how much time you waste on dressing, 
or any other of the acts which I have enumerated. A good way 


ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 


79 


to test this is to take your watch and time yourself how long 
each act takes you to perform. Note down the time in your 
note-book and then commence to concentrate on each act daily. 
You will soon find yourself beating your old records. 

One student, a stenographer in the employ of a bank, found 
he spent twenty minutes in copying letters of a certain number 
of lines from his shorthand notes. He concentrated upon this 
work and to his great astonishment found it only occupied him 
fifteen minutes, and the work was better done. 

Thus, over this one act he had been wasting five minutes. 
This is now a common experience with students; many report 
a great saving of time in performing certain work—time which 
they can, and do, use in other ways. 

But now a word of warning—do not rush madly to beat 
your former times of doing any of these acts; always keep in 
mind that in concentration there must be no strain, no excite¬ 
ment, no worry, only confidence. 

You must be cool, calm and collected in everything you do; 
and remember, before you undertake anything, to keep this 
attitude in mind. Say to yourself: “I am cool, calm and col¬ 
lected. I shall do my utmost to do this act well and quickly, 
but I shall not attempt to force myself or use strain; every¬ 
thing shall be done calmly and quietly.” 

You will find that everything you do will eventually be char¬ 
acterized by this spirit of calmness, coolness and collectedness— 
and everything will be much better done than formerly. 

EXERCISE NO. i. 

RELAXING MIND AND BODY. 

The first essential in concentration is to still the senses, to 
get quiet, to suspend confused mental activity. In the past, in 
common with the vast majority of mortals, you have obeyed the 
dictates of your mind. You have never realized its ceaseless 
activity and enormous power. It is, therefore, the object of 
this exercise to introduce you to the threshold of your mind 
world. You must learn the hidden powers of your mind, and 
then try to direct those powers. 

For the purpose of this exercise you should select your bed¬ 
room, where you are assured privacy, for you must be by your¬ 
self, away from everyone. Lock your bedroom door and lie 


80 


THE MASTER KEY 


down on the bed. Lie in the middle of the bed, relax, and 
stretch your feet down as far as they will go. Next stretch 
your arms out, and be sure your head is on a level with your 
body; that is, not resting on a pillow. Raise your head and 
let it fall back on the bed as if (your head) did not belong to 
you. Do this three times and then let the head rest where it 
falls. 

Now raise one arm and let it fall in the same manner, three 
times. Do the same with the other arm and then with each leg. 
Now lie perfectly still and try to think of no particular subject. 
Let the mind wander where it likes, but do not let it pursue a 
train of thought. The best plan is to think—“I am resting, 
just resting, that is alL ,, After fifteen minutes, rise. 

This is a most important though very simple exercise. Its 
object is to steady the nerves, to quiet the mind, to relax the 
muscles, and to give you tone. Once you come to realize the 
peace and the good this exercise will bring you, you will value 
it accordingly and practice it when wearied or worried. You 
will find, probably at first, that all your body will rebel at the 
inactivity, but this will prove to you the necessity for the exer¬ 
cise. 

This exercise is the foundation of some very difficult exer¬ 
cises, and should be carried out every day, until it gives way to 
the exercises founded thereon. 

EXERCISE NO. 2 . 

CONCENTRATING ON THE SENSE OF SIGHT. 

This exercise is a great favorite with all students of con¬ 
centration, partly on account of its simplicity and partly on 
account of the benefits to be derived from it. 

Get a sheet of note-paper and in the center make an ink spot 
about half the size of a quarter dollar. Pin the sheet on the 
wall of your room and sit in your chair about eight to ten feet 
from the sheet, which should be on a level with your eyes. 
Then, without making a single movement, gaze at the spot 
steadily and count slowly and mentally up to one hundred. Do 
not mind if your eyes blink—the object of the exercise is to 
concentrate your mind on the counting. Try to think of the 
counting to the exclusion of everything else; that is, do not 
allow your mind to drift to any other subject. 


ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 


81 


This exercise, simple as it looks, requires considerable effort 
on the part of a beginner to keep the mind fixed on the count¬ 
ing. Do not count beyond one hundred till your mind gets used 
to the exercise, which will, perhaps, not be for a week or so. 
Afterwards you can extend, but do so gradually. Breathe nat¬ 
urally while counting (this is important). This exercise is one 
of the “Oh, I can do that easily” kind, till you find that it is 
not quite so easy as it looks. 

The difficulty lies in the monotonous character of the count¬ 
ing, which does not prevent an active mind from carrying on a 
train of thought at the same time; and then other thoughts 
enter the mind, and finally you find you are not counting at 
all. Should, however, you be able to complete the counting, 
you will find when you review the mental process that a few 
thoughts did cross your mind. You will find it very diffi¬ 
cult for a time to keep them out, but you should keep at the 
exercise till you can keep them out—all of them. 

Do not at first practice this exercise more than twice a day. 
Only harm will come if you force matters. In time, the mind 
will be gradually got under control, and you will do the exercise 
easily. 

A good time to test yourself at this exercise is after some 
one has annoyed you, or after you have heard or read some 
interesting piece of news. Then you will find the mind struggle 
to take your thoughts off the counting, and you will find that it 
will take you all your time to come off victor. 

EXERCISE NO. 3. 

EXERCISE IN ATTENTION. 

You will find this exercise very valuable for the develop¬ 
ment of Mental Discipline and also in the training of your pow¬ 
ers of observation. The regular practice of this exercise (and 
it is one that you can practice almost anywhere) will make 
you observe things that escape the eyes of most people. You 
will find, also, that you will observe when outside automatically, 
and moreover, you will be able to bring back to your memory 
what you have observed, should you ever require it. 

Choose any little thing such as a lead pencil, a pen, a pen¬ 
knife, a key, a match-box, or a coin. Take it up in your hand 
and note the time at which you took it up. Commence now to 


82 


THE MASTER KEY 


examine the article. Let us say you have chosen a fountain 
pen. Examine it carefully all over as if you were bent on 
knowing everything concerning it. Do not hurry; no matter 
what the article is you choose, it should take you five minutes 
at least to go carefully over it. 

Now to come back to our supposed choice—a pen. Note 
first the nib; what it is made of, its shape, the name of the pen, 
its maker, any scratches or inkstains upon it. Then examine 
the holder; note what it is made of, its shape, any name upon 
it. Then go over its surface carefully, noting each little scratch 
or dint. After you have finished your examination, see how 
long it has taken you and note down the time in your note-book. 
As your powers of concentration* develop you will find your 
examination of articles take you longer, and yet it will seem 
shorter. This is a good sign—watch for it. 

Observe, you are not merely to stare at the pen. You must 
keep in mind that you are making a thorough overhaul of it. 
Do not allow your mind to stray from your task. At first, of 
course, you will find it do so, but bring it back again and again 
until you conquer. Trivial as this exercise may seem, you will 
find it a valuable one. It will train your powers of observation 
and you will extend these in other situations where they will 
stand you in good stead. 

Choose a fresh article each day, for this will sustain inter¬ 
est—a very important feature for beginners in concentration, 
as indeed in every new study. As soon as you find the exercise 
tiring you, or making you feel drowsy, drop it for that day. 

Sit perfectly still during this exercise. Use only such 
muscles (those of the hands and eye) as are absolutely essen¬ 
tial to its performance. Keep also in mind the calm attitude. 

This exercise is specially valuable for business men and 
women, as it cultivates observation, and that calm, cool, col¬ 
lectedness which tells so strongly in business. 

EXERCISE NO. 4. 

CONCENTRATING ON THE SENSE OF SMELL. 

It is an established fact that concentration intensifies the 
powers of the senses to a remarkable degree. Very few people 

*A watch-maker, and those who do watch repairing, knows, as the 
result of constant concentration, all parts of a watch, and can mentally 
picture its entire mechanism. 



ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 


83 


pay any attention to this in an ordinary way, therefore you 
should train your senses as you would train any other part of 
your organism. 

In most people the sense of Smell is fairly keen and there 
is no desire on their part to cultivate it. It should be noted, 
however, that when you exercise your olfactory powers you 
generally adopt a peculiarly attentive attitude. Especially is 
this so when you are unable to locate a certain odor, or where 
you are uncertain of its nature. 

Students should note this attitude when trying to detect, or 
to discriminate between odors. We seem for the time being 
to shut off every other thought from the mind but that of the 
odor. 

As a means of acquiring the attentive habit of mind, stu¬ 
dents should analyze the different odors which assail their 
olfactory nerves. Concentrate upon odors when in the country, 
or when entering a house (as the smell of cooking, the quality 
of the air contrasted with that outside) when entering shops 
(a chemist’s, for example). 

Experiment also with perfumes or toilet waters sprinkled 
on a handkerchief, taking care that none gets on your hands or 
person. Note how the olfactory nerves are influenced by fa¬ 
tigue, i. e., how the intensity of the smell seems to grow less 
after a time. 

Try to describe the different odors—their character, in¬ 
tensity; and also their effect upon you. Such practice, from 
time to time, will increase greatly your power of attention and 
it is practice that you can put into operation without interfering 
with your work, business or studies; for it can be done, mostly, 
as you go about from place to place. 

EXERCISE NO. 5. 

CONCENTRATING ON THE SENSE OF HEARING. 

The following exercise is intended to develop the sense 
of hearing by concentrating upon it. If you practice it daily 
you will find your hearing become much more acute. 

Get a small clock with a loud tick, such as an alarm clock, 
and put it on the mantel-piece in your bedroom. Then gradu¬ 
ally walk backwards from the room, a step at a time (slowly 
is essential), listening intently the while to the tick of the clock. 


84 


THE MASTER KEY 


As you find the tick growing fainter, walk more slowly, and 
when you reach the spot where you can no longer hear the 
tick, take a note of the place where you are standing, and see 
if you can reach a more distant spot a week or two later. Do 
not neglect to see that the clock always occupies the same posi¬ 
tion on the mantel-piece. 

The great point to attend to in this exercise is the listening 
attitude. You must keep your ears on the stretch, as it were, 
for the sound of the tick, and (very important), never allow 
yourself to think of any other thing but the tick. Simple as 
these exercises of the senses seem, very few people can do them 
right away, for their minds will stray to other things. 

You can, and should, extend this exercise of hearing to your 
walks outside. Go somewhere and listen to the great variety 
of sounds around you. Then pick out one sound and try to 
confine your attention to it for a few minutes. If you do this 
constantly in your walks, it will add a purpose to them, and 
you will find, unless there is organic disease, that your hearing 
will be greatly strengthened. 

EXERCISE NO. 6. 

EXERCISE IN ATTENTION. 

The following is an exercise in attention. It is very, very 
simple, and yet you will find it makes a fair demand on your 
concentrative powers. 

Take a column in a newspaper, and commencing at the top, 
cross out with a pen or pencil every letter O you come across. 
Go faithfully from the top of the column to the bottom. The 
simplicity of this exercise hides its real character. You will 
find that the attention will grow weary, that the letters will 
appear to run together, and your thoughts will wander away 
from what you are doing, unless you are able to concentrate. 
Now this you must try to prevent. 

Say to yourself every time you find your thoughts straying 
—“All I am thinking about is to mark out each letter O. I am 
not thinking and must not think of anything else.” When 
you have mastered this exercise, and by mastery I mean can 
keep your mind solely on blotting out the O’s, you have made 
a big stride towards concentration. 

The grand thing about this exercise is that you can practice 


ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 85 

it in so many places; at home, on your way to work or busi¬ 
ness, while sitting in train, automobile or car; in your lunch 
or dinner hour or at a theater between the acts, etc. Remember, 
however, to drop the exercise as soon as you find yourself 
growing really tired. Five minutes at it is sufficient for most 
students who have not had training in concentration. 

It is a good plan to go over the same column on the follow¬ 
ing day, and count the number of O’s omitted. If you will 
keep a record of these you will be able to note progress. Thus 
the fewer the O’s omitted the better your attention will have 
been. 

EXERCISE NO. 7. 

CONCENTRATION WHILE COUNTING. 

Select a clock with a loud thick, such as an alarm clock. 
Sit in your chair and listen to the ticks for a minute or two, 
and then begin to count silently; that is, inwardly, up to 200 
ticks. You will notice that the tick in an alarm clock is fairly 
quick, so you must learn to count fast. 

As soon as you have got accustomed to the quick tick, 
which you call one tick, commence to count, but do not look 
at the clock, or you will defeat the object of the exercise. As 
you count, gaze at the ceiling, then at the floor—anywhere, in 
fact, but at the clock. As you gaze about do not think of any 
of the objects you are looking at; that is, attempt to deny them 
entrance to your consciousness. Think only of the counting; 
nothing else. 

This simple exercise is a splendid one for beginners, for 
the eye and ear fight for mastery. The eye sends message 
after message to your brain concerning the things it sees, and 
the ear also sends its messages of what it hears. One of these 
two senses will win the fight. You must make the ear the 
winner by refusing to attend to the messages of the eye. By 
proper attention and concentration you can master it. 

EXERCISE No. 8. 

CONCENTRATING ON THE SENSE OF TOUCH. 

Blind people have developed the sense of touch to a remark¬ 
able degree, many being able to tell a piece of money simply 
by feeling the coin. 


86 


THE MASTER KEY 


A very interesting touch experiment, and one which tends 
to cultivate the attentive attitude, is to try and detect the cold 
spots on the palm or back of the hand, or on the cheek or brow. 

Take a lead pencil, with the point fairly blunt, and draw 
it gently over the palm of the hand. As you draw the pencil 
slowly over the palm surface, every here and there you will 
experience a sudden sensation of cold. These parts are the 
cold spots, and it is owing to these that the sensation of cold 
is carried by the nerves to the brain. If you mark these spots 
with colored ink you will get a chart of the cold spots on a 
given surface. 

There are also warm spots, detected by dipping a steel knit¬ 
ting needle with a blunt end in warm water, then wiping it 
dry and drawing it over the palm-surface, in the same way 
as with the lead pencil. The warm spots, however, have not 
the same intensity as the cold spots. 

Students can also cultivate the sense of touch by touching 
articles in the dark, or with the eyes closed. It is often very 
difficult to describe the nature of an article touched in a dark 
room, or when the eyes are blindfolded. 

These exercises in concentrating on the senses will greatly 
benefit you, not only in concentration, but in making your senses 
keener, thus adding to your means of knowledge. For, remem¬ 
ber, all knowledge is only gained by synthesising impressions 
received through the different senses. Unless these impressions 
are clear and definite the work of thought is hindered and 
advancement in knowledge retarded. 

EXERCISE NO. 9. 

CONCENTRATING ON THE SENSE OF TASTE. 

Students should cultivate the sense of taste by paying 
particular attention to the taste of the various kinds of food 
while at their meals. Very few people have a keen sense of 
taste, which is mainly due to their eating their food in a hur¬ 
ried manner. 

To concentrate upon taste while eating anything tends to 
excite the salivary glands, thus aiding-the process of digestion. 

Students should note, too, that different parts of the tongue 
give different sensations of taste. Experiment and see which 
part gives the greatest intensity. Note, also, that the middle 


ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 87 


or center part of the tongue surface gives no sensation of 
taste. Try this. Put a grain of sugar or of salt in the center 
of your tongue and you will find that you can detect no sensa¬ 
tion of sweetness or saltness. 

Children have a much keener sense of taste than adults. The 
middle part of the tongue of a child, as also the mucous mem¬ 
brane, gives sensations of taste which are non-existent in the 
case of adults. 

Expert tea-tasters have cultivated the sense of Taste to a 
high state of perfection. Some tea-travelers are so expert 
that they can pick out their own sample out of a dozen and 
more different sample cups of tea. 

Always remember that the ultimate aim of all the exercises 
is to develop attention, i. econcentration , without the strain 
which always accompanies it in the untrained man or woman. 

EXERCISE NO. io. 
CONCENTRATING ON THE NERVES. 

Lie upon your bed, thoroughly relaxed (see Exercise No. 
i), and concentrate your mind upon your body. 

Try to become conscious of the beating of your heart, the 
murmuring in your ears, the sound of your breathing. Do not 
pay the slightest attention to any other sound, say of an out¬ 
side nature. Next concentrate upon the various parts of your 
body, such as the head, the feet, the arms, the legs; then the 
lungs, the heart, the bowels, the liver, the kidneys and other 
bodily functions. 

Think that through these various parts and organs the blood 
is flowing and carrying life and health to every part; try to 
make your thinking so vigorous, so real, that you can actually 
feel the blood coursing through your system. 

Say, now, to yourself: “I am alive; every cell in my 
organism thrills with life; every part of me is filled with 
vitality.” Picture yourself standing up a perfect type of 
bodily strength, strong in mind and strong in body. Literally 
realize it with all the intensity of mind and soul. 

This is a grand exercise to take just before going to sleep 
and before rising in the morning. Not only will it improve 
your concentrative powers, but you will find it will greatly 
improve your health, for you will find, as you advance, that the 


88 


THE MASTER KEY 


body is but a reflection of the mind—that as you habitually 
picture yourself in mind, so will you tend to become in body. 

EXERCISE NO. n. 

EXERCISE IN VOLUNTARY ACTION. 

Sit back in your chair and twirl your thumbs. Do it slowly 
and keep your gaze fixed on your thumbs. Do not think of 
anything but the twirling. 

To fix your attention, if you find it difficult to prevent 
thoughts coming into your mind, count up to one hundred. 
After twirling the thumbs in one direction, twirl in the op¬ 
posite direction. 

This exercise is very simple, yet it makes demands upon 
you, for you will find it difficult to keep your thoughts solely 
on the twirling. Do not do this exercise in any public place; 
it is meant for your own room or anywhere where you are 
free from observation. 

EXERCISE NO. 12. < 

CONCENTRATING ON SLEEP. 

A very good exercise in concentration on sleep is the water 
method. The simplest is as follows : 

Put a glass on a table in your room and fill the glass full of 
water. Now take up an easy position in a chair alongside the 
table and gaze into the depths of the water. Sit with your back 
to the light. At first, simply gaze into the water and think 
of its cool, calm depth. 

Try to bring yourself to a quiet, firm realization that your 
whole physical body is taking on the calm, cool conditions of 
the crystal like water within the glass. 

Many people sit by a stream of running water for hours. 
This has a quieting effect on the nerves and many times causes 
sleep. 

Again, while gazing within the glass of pure, clear crystal 
like water, hold the thought of sleep and health and see if you 
can induce the on-coming of drowsiness and sleep. 

Never mind if you cannot concentrate on sleep strong 
enough the first few exercises to become sleepy; this will 
come later if you continue the exercises faithfully. The 


ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 89 


object of this exercise is to simply keep the mind to a train 
of thought of sleep and quietness so as to greatly strengthen 
the entire nervous system. By being able to concentrate on 
sleep you will be able to calm the mind and render it passive 
and quiet at the dictates of your will. 

THE INDUCTION OF SLEEP. 

For the induction of sleep several concomitant conditions 
are necessary, chief among which are an exhaustion of potential 
interest, and the presence of monotony. The induction of sleep 
is the resultant of these joint conditions. Other conditions, 
of course, are more or less essential and conducive to sleep, 
such as a peaceful state of mind, a comfortable posture, ab¬ 
sence of bodily pain, external excitement, etc. There are 
exceptions, however. Persons accustomed to sleeping in the 
midst of great noise and excitement find it extremely difficult 
to go to sleep where there is perfect silence. The faculty of 
imitation also helps to bring it about. When we see others 
dozing we are naturally inclined to follow their example, and 
at night the consciousness that all around us are asleep disposes 
us to seek the same condition. Talking about sleep is apt to 
induce somnolence, just as talking about food may provoke 
hunger. Monotonous sounds, such as raindrops falling upon 
the roof, or the breaking of wind tossed waves upon the sea¬ 
shore, tend to encourage slumber. Monotonous repetition of 
sleep Suggestions have a decided tendency to induce sleep. The 
unvarying accents of an unskilled lecturer is an instance of the 
effects of monotonous repetition. Muscular repose is also, as 
a rule, a necessary preliminary to sleep, though there are many 
instances of soldiers and others who under circumstances of 
exceptional fatigue and excitement have not been prevented 
from sleeping in the most -strained and uncomfortable posi¬ 
tions, amid the continuous roar of battle or the blustering of a 
fierce gale. 

The transition from the walking to the sleeping state and 
vice versa is often sudden, but generally there is a noticeable 
gradation. To illustrate: a man sitting in an arm-chair “dozes,” 
but is brought back to a partial degree of consciousness by his 
head falling forward. 


Master 2Crg 

CHAPTER XIV. 

LESSON TWELVE. 

SCIENTIFIC CONCENTRATION. 

ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE. 

SUMMARY OF LESSON TWELVE. 

To some students Lesson Twelve will prove more interest¬ 
ing than Lesson Eleven, since it gives more physical work 
and results are, perhaps, quicker seen. 


Exercise No. 13. 

Exercise No. 14. 

Exercise No. 15. 

Exercise No. 16. 

Exercise No. 17. 

Exercise No. 18. 

Exercise No. 19. 
Exercise No. 20. 
Exercise No. 21. 

Exercise No. 22. 

Exercise No. 23. 


Concentration for Control of 

Muscles of the Arms.Page No. 92 

Concentration for Control of 

Muscles of the Legs.Page No. 93 

Concentration for Control of 

Muscles of the Head.Page No. 94 

Concentration for Control of 

Muscles of the Arms.Page No. 94 

Concentration Applied to Read¬ 
ing .Page No. 95 

Concentration Applied to Mem¬ 
ory • • • . ..Page No. 95 

Concentrating on Sensations.. Page No. 96 

Exercise in Attention.Page No. 97 

Concentrating on Verse Writ¬ 
ing .Page No. 98 

Concentration Applied to the 

Breathing .Page No. 98 

Concentration Applied to Self- 
Reliance .Page No. 100 


Every student is advised to give some practice to Exercise 

90 














ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 91 

No. 15, as it is one that, like Exercise No. 23, has a marked 
effect upon character. 

Students are requested to note the last paragraph in Exer¬ 
cise No. 19, and also the last paragraph in Exercise No. 20. 

Again, the student should now begin to find his interest in 
Concentration and Mental Discipline growing, for he will be¬ 
gin to realize the important part it will play in his life if faith¬ 
fully followed. 

If ever you feel discouraged with the results of any exer¬ 
cise, please do not say to yourself: “I shall never master this.” 
Say rather: “l shall do this better next time.” Believe this 
as you say it, and you will find that you will do it better next 
time. This attitude is in accordance with the Law of Habit. 

ESSENTIALS OF LESSON TWELVE. 

There are certain little things which are fatal to Concentra¬ 
tion and Mental Discipline in the highest sense, and these little 
things are things of which nearly every man and woman is, 
in some degree, guilty. 

The first class comprises those people who cannot keep their 
hands still; who are always pulling at their watch chain or 
coat, or induling in little tricks of speech or gesture, or who 
move backwards or forwards in their chair when talking to 
you. This class also comprises people who delight in beating 
the floor with their foot, tattooing on desk or table with their 
fingers, biting their finger nails, twirling their mustache, etc. 

The second class comprises all who worry over the merest 
trifle; who are irritable and nervous, so that they start at the 
least sound. 

The third class comprises those who fire up at the slightest 
thing; who never, in the least degree, attempt to control their 
anger. 

Now all the above are signs of a lack of self-control, and 
you, as a student of concentration, must stop any of the above 
acts of which you may be guilty. 

An excellent plan which the student can adopt is to repeat 
the following affirmation every day. Even should you be, at 
present, absolutely guiltless of any of these signs, you will 
find the affirmation do you good, inasmuch as it will be a 
perpetual reminder to you to guard against them, and so pre¬ 
serve your self-control. 


92 


THE MASTER KEY 


AFFIRMATION. 

“From henceforth I shall guard against any defects of 
speech, or gestures which formerly characterized me. I shall 
not worry over trifles. I shall not be nervous or irritable. I 
shall not give way to passion. I shall be calm and self-con- 
trolled under all circumstances. From henceforth I am free 
from all these signs or acts which show a lack of self-control.” 

Repeat this affirmation with great earnestness every day, or 
several times in the day if you can, and try to mean and carry 
out what you say. Understand and realize thoroughly all it 
means and you will soon feel a difference in yourself —a dif¬ 
ference which others will quickly mark and cause them to have 
a greater sense of respect for you . 

EXERCISE NO. 13. 

CONCENTRATION FOR CONTROL OF MUSCLES OF 
THE ARMS. 

Get a sheet of note-paper and in the center make a black spot 
the size of a half dollar. Pin the paper on the wall of your 
room on a level (standing) with your eyes. Then stand away 
from the sheet a distance of from eight to ten feet, and ex¬ 
tend your arm in the direction of the sheet. Keep the hand 
perfectly straight and point the second finger until it exactly 
covers the black spot. 

Now if you run your eye along your arm to the fingers, 
just as in sighting when firing a rifle, you will notice if there 
is the slightest wavering of the second finger. Do not watch 
the hand; watch the tip of the second finger. If there is the 
faintest quivering of the arm the finger tip will show it. 

What you must do is to try to keep the finger tip exactly in 
the center of the spot. At first you will find the arm very 
unsteady, but with practice you will soon find yourself gaining 
control over it. 

You will find this exercise very tiring to the muscles of the 
arm, therefore, for the first week or so do not practice it longer 
than a minute at a time. You can practice several times a 
day if you feel inclined, but at each time do not extend its dura¬ 
tion beyond a minute. When you are fairly successful at the 
minute stage, extend the time until you can hold the arm per- 


ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 93 

fectly steady for five minutes. Practice first with one arm and 
then with the other. 

This is an excellent exercise for any one, but it is especially 
good for all who wish to excel in shooting, penmanship or 
anything where steadiness of the hand and arm is required. 
Golfers will find benefit from this exercise. Remember to 
breathe naturally when doing this exercise. Take your mind 
off the arm now and again and see if your breathing is all right. 
This is absolutely essential. Retention of the breath means 
strain, and this you must avoid. 

EXERCISE NO. 14. 

EXERCISE FOR CONTROL OF MUSCLES OF THE 
LEG. 

Put a coin down on the floor and stand away from it a 
distance of two feet. Stand upright with your hands by your 
side. Then raise and extend your leg until the toe of your 
shoe is immediately over the coin. Do not let the toe of your 
shoe go over the edge of the coin—try to keep it exactly on a 
line with the edge of the coin. Watch the toe, and see if you 
can detect any movement of the foot. 

This exercise, also, is tiring, and should, like the arm exer¬ 
cise, be restricted to a minute or two at a time during the first 
week or so. When you have a fair amount of control at the 
two feet distance, gradually extend (i. e., move away from the 
coin) until your distance is nearing three feet. When you 
are successful at this distance you should try the Wall Exercise 
as follows: 

Take the sheet of paper you use for your arm exercise and 
pin it to the wall about three feet from the floor. Stand away 
from the wall and raise your foot until the toe of your shoe 
covers the spot on the sheet. Gradually heighten the sheet 
until the spot approaches on a level with your eye. You will 
find the strain on the muscles become more severe as you 
heighten the sheet. You must try and avoid this strain by 
raising the height of the sheet gradually. 

Practice with each leg alternately, and remember to watch 
your breathing, as in the arm exercise. Do not think of any¬ 
thing else when doing the exercise—keep the mind fixed on 
what you are doing. 


94 


THE MASTER KEY 


EXERCISE NO. 15. 

EXERCISE FOR CONTROL OF MUSCLES OF THE 
HEAD. 

Sit back at ease in your chair (an arm-chair is the best), 
and gaze at the ink-spot on your sheet of note-paper which 
you have previously pinned on the wall on a level with your 
eyes. 

Sit with your watch in your hand and gaze at the spot on 
the sheet for five minutes. Never mind if your eye blinks. 
Do not move your head in the least degree, not even when 
looking at your watch. You can easily do this by glancing 
downwards, as this does not involve any movement of the head. 

Concentrate all your thoughts on keeping the head perfectly 
still. As thoughts come into your mind, try to reject them 
by saying: “I must keep my head perfectly still—I must think 
of nothing else.” 

Pay great attention to your breathing in this exercise; turn 
your attention to it now and again and see if it is full and 
rhythmic. This exercise is very important and not at all diffi¬ 
cult. It gives a sense of power and dignity to one, and is 
valuable in many situations in life. 

The man who has perfect control of all the muscles of the 
head and eyes always carries weight in conversation and in 
business interviews. It powerfully impresses those with whom 
you come into contact, and as you continue to practice it gives 
you a feeling of calmness and restraint that will soon be habitual 
to you and be manifested in all you do. 

Do not practice this exercise for a longer time than five 
minutes the first week or so; afterwards, extend to fifteen 
minutes. 

EXERCISE NO. 16. 

EXERCISE FOR CONTROL OF MUSCLES OF THE 
ARMS. 

Take a walking stick of a fair weight and point it at some 
object, and run your eye along the stick so that the end of the 
stick covers the object. Concentrate on keeping the stick firm 
and steady, directly over the object. 

Try this exercise at different angles for the stick. For in¬ 
stance, point to a star overhead, then at a chimney-pot or 


ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 95 


object of a similar height; next to an object directly on a level 
with the arm when fully extended straight out, next pointing 
to some object on the ground. Try first with one arm and 
then with the other. 

Practice this exercise in a place where you can do it with¬ 
out attracting attention. Keep your mind firmly fixed on 
what you are doing. Breathe naturally. 

EXERCISE NO. 17. 

CONCENTRATION APPLIED TO READING. 

Take a page in any book, or an article in a newspaper, and 
read it carefully with a view to seeing if there are any mis¬ 
spellings. You must read very carefully, spelling each word 
silently. If you do this properly, that is, slowly and carefully, 
by the time you have finished the page or article you will find 
you have no idea of what you have been reading. 

Test the accuracy of your work by going over the same 
ground on the following day. Test it further by going over 
it again two or three days later. A still better test is to com¬ 
mence with the last word of the page or article and read back¬ 
wards, examining each word carefully as you come to it. Thus 
suppose you were testing this exercise you would examine first, 
the word “Day,” then each—it—to—time, etc. 

Do not confound this exercise with the work of a proof¬ 
reader, for it is entirely different. He must attend to the sense 
of what he is reading, as well as look out for mis-spellings— 
you must concentrate solely on the mis-spellings. 

This is a simple, yet excellent exercise in concentration, for 
it makes great demands on your powers of attention. It is 
also one you can practice almost anywhere and at all times. 
You will find, if you stick to it, that good results will follow. 
Give five minutes of your time to it each day. 

EXERCISE NO. 18. 

CONCENTRATION APPLIED TO MEMORY. 

Take a picture, in a magazine or newspaper, and look at it 
intently for ten minutes. Note the subject of the picture and 
its title, if it has one. Next note the various objects in the 
picture and their respective positions to each other. Next 


96 


THE MASTER KEY 


observe the details in the picture. If there are men and women 
in it note how they are dressed, etc. Never let your mind 
wander for an instant from the picture and its story. 

Do not tie yourself to a ten minutes' examination if you find 
that it is not sufficient; take what time you like, so long as you 
take in every detail. When your examination is complete, 
put the picture away and banish it from your mind by reading 
a book, or going for a walk, etc. 

Next day, at about the same time as that in which you made 
your examination on the previous day, bring the picture back 
to your memory. Take a piece of paper and try to make a 
rough sketch of the picture. Never mind if it is far from 
being an artistic production. Never mind even if you cannot 
draw at all; put on the paper some idea of the picture. 

If there is a tree, and you cannot draw one, put down the 
word “tree” where you think it should stand in the picture. 
Employ the same methods if unable to sketch in the other de¬ 
tails. Next compare your sketch with the picture and see what 
details you have omitted. See also if it agrees with the image 
of the picture in your mind. 

This is an excellent memory* exercise 1 and will greatly 
develop your powers of observation. It is also an excellent 
exercise in concentration, for unless your concentration is 
good you will stand a poor chance of remembering the picture 
in detail. Also see Lesson Seventeen in Part Three. 

EXERCISE NO. 19. 
CONCENTRATING ON SENSATIONS. 

You are now to concentrate on certain sensations, such as 
Hunger, Thirst, Cold, Heat. 

Lie down on your bed, or on a couch, and commence to 
think of Hunger. Try to think what it must feel like to be 
ravenously hungry with no means of satisfying your hunger. 
Picture the scene till you can almost feel the pangs of hunger. 
Turn, then, to its opposite; imagine yourself hungry and sitting 
down to a splendid repast. Picture the scene as each course is 
brought in until finally you retire from the table satisfied. 

Next concentrate on Thirst until you feel your tongue dry 

*Chapter XXV., Lesson Twenty-three, Memory—Good And Bad 
Memories,” and, Chapter XXVI., Lesson Twenty-four, “Cultivation of 
Memory” deals fully with the faculty of Memory. 



ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 97 

and parched. Then concentrate on its opposite—a splendid 
drink of cool, clear water, held before you. Imagine it, as 
Charles Lamb says, “purling over your tongue/’ Next con¬ 
centrate on Cold until you feel shivering all over; then on its 
opposite—Heat, until you are all in a glow. 

You will find that the sensations make splendid exercises in 
concentration. You will find them, too, very valuable, for you 
gain by them great control, and great imaginative power. 

There is a further aspect from which this exercise may be 
viewed. Every one knows that if we turn our attention when 
in pain to the part affected the pain seems to increase. On the 
other hand, if we can succeed in turning our attention to some¬ 
thing else than the pain its intensity tends to grow less. With 
practice one can gain wonderful control in this respect, and we 
advise every student to make the experiment and carefully note 
results. 


EXERCISE NO. 20. 

EXERCISE IN ATTENTION. 

Take a sheet of note-paper, or any kind of paper, provided 
there is on it neither reading nor writing matter. Make a fold 
right round the sheet, of about half an inch, and press down 
the fold with your thumb nail. 

Now tear off this fold right round, so that you leave a 
ragged edge. Next hold the sheet against a dark background 
so that the edge will stand out quite clear. Make a mark in 
one of the corners, and commencing from this mark, let the 
eye wander slowly round the edge of the paper until it comes 
back to the mark again. 

Try as you go round to imagine the edge to be a series of 
mountains and valleys, and let the eye travel up and down 
these. Keep the mind on this act—do not let it stray in the 
least. 

The object of the exercise is to train you in attention, and 
you must bear in mind that to succeed you must simulate inter¬ 
est in what you are doing. That is why you are told to imagine 
the eye traveling up and down the mountains and valleys. 

This exercise should be done very slowly; it cannot be done 
effectively under five minute. To keep the attention on it, 
and the interest keen, for ten minutes, shows that your power 
of attention is growing. 


98 


THE MASTER KEY 


To some students this exercise will prove very difficult, 
especially if they are more inclined to physical than to mental 
work. Like a cyclist they want to rush round the track, but 
they forget that even a cyclist must control this impulse if he 
is to win. The man who has control over his mind is the one 
who knows when to race ahead and when to restrain, and who 
acts accordingly. 

EXERCISE NO. 21. 

CONCENTRATING ON VERSE WRITING. 

Writing verse makes an admirable exercise in concentra¬ 
tion, besides adding to your vocabulary. Choose at first verses 
simple in construction. 

Where the concentration comes in is in the endeavor to find 
words that will rhyme. Do not mind if you cannot write 
poetry—all you are to concern yourself with is the rhyme; the 
matter can be nonsensical or otherwise, as you please. 

If you find that you cannot write even nonsense verses, try 
to form pairs of words that will rhyme, such as, to take the 
very simplest, cat, mat; doll, poll; ferry, merry, etc. Proceed 
in this way until you can form more difficult ones. 

Students must be careful to keep the mind centered on the 
rhymes and not to stray away to the meanings of the words, 
for this will tend to set up trains of thought and then mind¬ 
wandering will almost inevitably follow. This, of course, 
applies only to nonsense verses, or forming pairs of words. 

EXERCISE NO. 22. 

CONCENTRATION APPLIED TO THE BREATHING. 

The following exercise on breathing is one employed with 
great success by the Hindus. They use it extensively as a 
means of attaining what they term “perfect concentration.” 

Sit in an easy position in your chair—not a reclining posi¬ 
tion; one nearly upright is the best, and therefore a high, 
straight-backed chair is the best to sit in. 

Take in your hand a lead pencil—if you cannot get one, 
shape a piece of stick the size—and press one end of the pencil 
against the right nostril, closing it. Now take a long breath, 
drawing in the breath gently. It should take you eight sec- 


ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 99 

onds to inhale. Next hold the breath eight seconds, and then, 
placing the end of the pencil against the left nostril, expel the 
breath through the right nostril, taking eight seconds to do 
it in. 

Next draw in through the right nostril eight seconds, hold 
the breath eight seconds and expel in eight seconds through the 
left nostril, shifting the pencil against the right nostril for this 
purpose. Keep drawing in through one nostril, then holding 
the breath, then expelling through the other nostril, up to 
twenty times—each time you shift the pencil counting as one 
time. As you get control over the breath, extend gradually 
the number of seconds for inspiration, holding, and expulsion, 
up to twenty seconds; but do not alter the number of times 
—keep to twenty. Also avoid all movement other than that 
involved in moving the pencil. Sit perfectly still during the 
act of inhalation and exhalation of the breath. 

Every morning immediately on rising go to the open window 
of a room which has free ventilation. Fold your arms across 
the chest and drew the upper arms close to the side. Stand 
erect; expel all the air out of your lungs. After a short time 
relax your arms and hang them at the sides. Inhale deeply 
through the nostrils as much air as the lungs will hold. The 
action must commence from the abdomen and then distend 
the chest. The inhaled air must be held within for fifteen 
seconds and then exhale slowly through the mouth. Practice 
this not less than five times a day. In the beginning you may 
feel a little dizzy and this will wear off in time. 

In this exercise you are to think of nothing but the act of 
breathing; concentrate your whole mind upon it. You must 
try to avoid strain when inspiring, holding and expelling the 
breath. 

This exercise has an excellent effect on the nerves and 
respiratory system. It gives a cool, calm, dispassionate feel¬ 
ing. It is, without doubt, one of the finest modes of concentrat¬ 
ing that anyone can practice. It should always be resorted to 
when you feel under the stress of a great emotion, and when 
about to face a severe mental task. Students of the Mental 
Sciences (Logic, Psychology, Metaphysics, etc.) and the 
Higher Mathematics, will find this a valuable exercise. 


100 


THE MASTER KEY 


EXERCISE NO. 23. 

CONCENTRATION APPLIED TO SELF-RELIANCE. 

The following exercise is one that is so simple that perhaps 
you will wonder why you are asked to concentrate on it. All 
that it consists of is summed up in the phrase: “Keep your 
mouth shut” This sounds ridiculously easy, does it not? Yet 
to carry it out is, with most people, a far from easy task. 

Just notice for one day all the people you meet, and you 
will be surprised how few keep their mouth shut —tight shut, 
I mean. Now just notice, also, the men whom you know to be 
men of strong purpose, masterful men, self-reliant men—you 
will find they are all men who keep their mouth shut —tight 
shut. This indicates Self-Reliance and Firmness. 

The fact is that if you practice this exercise constantly, 
only opening your mouth when speaking or when at your meals, 
you will find yourself developing a strong will. You will look 
at things differently; you will feel more manly, more reliant, 
more determined, and all this will tend to remake your 
character. 

The writer is not asking you to practice this exercise for 
your health’s sake—all recognize its importance in that respect 
—he simply asks you to carry it out for the benefit it will bring 
you from a mental development point of view. 

This exercise is not easy to the man or woman who has not 
practiced it; you will find that you will have to check yourself 
constantly, and shut your mouth up tight. It requires constant 
concentration until the habit is acquired, and then you will do 
it naturally—automatically. 

In practicing this exercise students should guard against 
giving their face an unnatural or unpleasant expression. Check 
this tendency by examining your face in a mirror occasionally. 



®If t fiastw 5Ceg 

CHAPTER XV. 

LESSON THIRTEEN. 

SCIENTIFIC CONCENTRATION. 

ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE. 

SUMMARY OF LESSON THIRTEEN. 

This is a very interesting Lesson, but more difficult than 
Lesson Twelve, for it is largely mental, and must be very care¬ 
fully practiced. 

Be particularly careful to avoid strain, or fatigue, in doing 
any of the exercises herein. Festina lente (hasten slowly), 
must be your motto, and ever before you. 


Exercise No. 24, 

Exercise No. 25. 

Exercise No. 26. 

Exercise No. 27. 

Exercise No. 28. 

Exercise No. 29. 

Exercise No. 30. 
Exercise No. 31. 
Exercise No. 32. 


Concentrating on the Facial 

Muscles.Page No. 103 

Concentration Applied to 

Reading.Page No. 104 

Concentration Applied to 

Thinking.Page No. 105 

Concentration Applied to 

Thinking.Page No. 106 

Concentration Applied to 

Memory .Page No. 107 

Concentration Applied to 

Bad Habits .Page No. 107 

Exercise in Attention.Page No. 108 

Concentration in Prayer.Page No. 109 

Concentration Applied to 
an Object in Life.Page No. no 


Remember the advice given in the last Lesson about being 
discouraged. Never admit the thought of failure. 

Every student is also most earnestly admonished to give 

101 













102 


THE MASTER KEY 


some practice to Exercise No. 24; it is of special value to 
business men and women. 

Exercises No. 31 and No. 32 are invaluable to you. If you 
practice them in the proper spirit you will never be numbered 
amongst life's failures. 

ESSENTIALS OF LESSON THIRTEEN. 

The force of desire is one of the greatest forces in the world, 
and it affords excellent exercises in Concentration. The desire 
to tell is, perhaps, one of its strongest manifestations. I 
commend the following exercises to you, which, if you duly 
observe, will greatly strengthen your powers of Concentration, 
and also your power of Self-Control. (It is not the author's 
purpose here to go into the moral benefits which will result 
from their practice.) 

First —If you know, or learn anything against the character 
of any person, never tell it to another person. That is, speak¬ 
ing generally, of course; special cases may demand it. This 
desire, in the vast majority of people, is enormous— if you can 
control it, the benefits are in proportion. 

Second —If you hear an important piece of news, restrain 
the desire to tell it to the first person you meet. By so doing 
you are concentrating. You concentrate all your powers of 
resistance not to tell. When you feel you have command over 
yourself, that is, when you feel the force of the desire to tell 
diminish, you can then tell your news without any loss of con¬ 
trol. It is the impatience of the desire to tell that you are to 
guard against. 

Third —If a person tells you an important piece of news, 
which formerly would have caused you to start, jump up, or 
to utter some exclamation of surprise—receive the news quiet¬ 
ly. Do not let your friend make you lose control. You will 
find he will be taken aback, and perhaps he will wonder if his 
news was really as important as he thought it was. You will 
find that if you practice this that it will be of enormous benefit 
to you, especially if you are in business. People will respect 
you, and you will gain a name for coolness, nerve and im¬ 
perturbability— you will gain the name of a strong man. 

Note: —Do not receive the news in a wooden manner; use 
tact, in accordance with the circumstances. 

You may, perhaps, think that, strictly speaking, the above 


ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 103 


exercises are not concentrative, but a little reflection will show 
you that they are highly so. The desire to tell says: “You 
must do as I tell you.” Concentration replies: “No; by giving 
way to desire I am losing control over a part of myself. I shall 
not do this; I shall concentrate all my powers of resistance 
against this desire, and so preserve my self-control.” 

Welcome occurrences to practice these exercises and you 
will reap great benefit. 

EXERCISE NO. 24. 

CONCENTRATING ON THE FACIAL MUSCLES. 

1st. Position. Sit upright in front of your looking-glass and 
gaze at the root of your nose; that is, just 
where the nose juts out from the brow. 
Breathe naturally. 

Concentrate your attention on the facial muscles and try 
to avoid the slightest movement. Keep all thoughts at bay; 
think only of keeping the facial muscles perfectly still. 

2nd Position. Stand upright in front of your looking-glass 
and fix your gaze as above. Follow the same 
instructions as in the first position. 

3rd Position. Stand upright in front of a high mirror with 
your hands down by your side. Stand per¬ 
fectly motionless. 

Do not practice any of these positions, at first, for longer 
than five minutes; gradually increase up to fifteen minutes. 
Watch your breathing carefully in each position. 

The ability to control the facial muscles will stand you in 
good stead on many occasions. Its value cannot be estimated, 
for these muscles are always trying to betray your thoughts 
to others. Bad News, Good News, Surprise, Fear, Joy, all 
employ the facial muscles to express themselves, therefore 
be on your guard and exact complete obedience from your 
facial muscles. Remember, people judge you by these muscles 
as much as by what you say—therefore gain complete control 
over them. 


104 


THE MASTER KEY 


EXERCISE NO. 25. 

CONCENTRATION APPLIED TO READING. 

Read carefully a short story, and then write a precis* of it. 
Or take a speech reported in the newspaper and condense it into 
half-a-dozen lines or so. Remember, you are to read both the 
story and the speech once only, noting as you go along the 
essentials of each. 

You will find that this exercise will make great demands on 
your concentrative powers, for it demands keen attention, and 
memory to a great extent, and with these the power of abstrac¬ 
tion so that essentials may be clearly marked out as you pro¬ 
ceed. Remember, you cannot say that you really know a thing 
unless you can tell it or write it out. If you fail in the telling 
or in the writing, it shows weakness of concentration, and the 
retentive powers of your memory; therefore, your time has 
been wasted. 

If you are a student and wish to advance rapidly, tell what 
you know to a congenial mind. In this way you will discover 
defects in your knowledge—you will find that in many points 
you lack clearness and definiteness. Even if you haven’t any¬ 
one to whom you feel you can talk about what you have read 
or are interested in, do not be discouraged. 

Go into your room and imagine a friend sitting opposite 
to you, and try to tell him what you have read or are studying. 
This plan will reveal many a weak point in your knowledge 
and speech. Especially will it try your powers of continuity, 
that is, the power to finish as well as you began; to round up’ 
as it were, your subject. 

You will find this imaginary conversation or exposition a 
magnificent concentration exercise. In the same way, if you 
imagine an audience in front of you, you will soon develop into 
a good speaker. If you wish to become a ready speaker,! adopt 
the following plan: ^ 

Write out on several slips of paper the name of subjects to 
speak upon. Your newspaper will supply you with plenty of 
topics. You should have some familiarity with the subjects 
chosen. J 


* Precis, pra-see, S. an abridged statement; a summary (Fr). 
anlc'hapter XXX Pub1C Speaking ’ See Chapter XXVIII, Chapter XXIX 




ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 105 


Put your slips to one side and take one at random each 
day. Have your watch in front of you and as soon as the 
seconds pointer is at 60, commence to speak upon the subject 
noted on your paper. You are to speak for one minute only; 
as soon as the time is up you must stop. 

You must not make excuses as to inability or unfamiliarity 
with the topic—you must strike into your subject right away. 
Aim at speaking without breaks—force yourself to say some¬ 
thing. In time you will learn to think quickly, which is the 
chief requisite in readiness of speech. 


EXERCISE NO. 26. 

CONCENTRATION APPLIED TO THINKING; 

No man can be a thinker unless he can concentrate his 
thoughts on the subject matter before him. The ability to 
think clearly should be the endeavor of every man and every 
woman. A good way to develop this power is to take a verse 
out of the Bible, or a verse of a poem, or a proverb, and try 
to exhaust, or at least get a rough idea of its meaning. 

To give an example. Suppose we take the verse: “To 
him that hath shall he given, and from him that hath not, shall 
he taken away even that which he hath.” At first sight this 
appears ridiculous. How can anything be taken away from a 
person who has nothing ? 

Now on reflection you are met with a counter argument— 
It is impossible for a man to possess nothing, for no-thing 
does not exist. Let us examine the first argument—How can 
anything be taken from a man who has nothing? 

Every man, by faith and belief in health, possesses a meas¬ 
ure of health, sometimes indeed so little that we may say he 
has no health at all; yet if this person loses faith in the little 
he has, it means that even that little will be taken away from 
him. 

The principle underlying this verse is a psychological one. 
It means that unless a man, by having faith and belief, follows 
the laws that make for health, wealth, or any other desirable 
thing, eventually his power to obey the law will be taken away 
from him. Take success, for instance; every man of whom 
we speak as a failure possesses, potentially, the powers that 
would lead him to success, but if he does not, or will not exert 


106 THE MASTER KEY 

those powers by true faith, then in time they are taken away 
from him. 

Try this exercise on a different verse or proverb every day 
and you will find your thinking powers develop to a wonder¬ 
ful extent. You will gradually acquire the valuable power of 
thinking for yourself—a power which very few people seem 
to possess. 

In concentrating on “thinking exercises,” as above, remem¬ 
ber to sit perfectly still, to breathe naturally, and to avoid all 
strain. If thoughts do not seem to come to you, do not worry; 
leave the exercise till another day. Do not sit at this exercise, 
at first, for longer than ten or twenty minutes. Gradually 
extend as your power of thinking grows. 

Students should understand that the author is speaking here 
of “thinking,” in a popular sense. There must always be a 
wide difference between such thinking and that of the trained 
thinker—one with a philosophical training in the niceties and 
exactness of language and literary subjects. 

EXERCISE NO. 27., 

CONCENTRATION APPLIED TO THINKING. 

The following exercise will make greater demands upon you 
than Exercise No. 26. It calls into play the retentive power of 
memory, and requires keen concentration throughout. 

Take any book which for you is fairly difficult to under¬ 
stand, and read it carefully for ten minutes; then put the book 
to one side, and for twenty minutes think over what you have 
read. M the expiration of the twenty minutes, try to write 
down, in your own words , an account of what you have read. 

At first, if the exercise is absolutely new to you, you will 
find the thinking exceedingly difficult. First there will come a 
feeling of heat, next one of strain and fatigue consequent on 
your endeavor to reconstruct the subject, in your own words. 
Following this will come mind-wandering, and you will have 
to pull your thoughts back constantly, as it were, to the process 
of reconstruction. 

The exercise is very similar, in its physical aspect, to that 
of lifting a heavy weight. You experience heat, muscle fatigue, 
and a feeling of letting go the weight—all of which proves 
that both exercises, the mental and the physical, can only be 
mastered by degrees. 


ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 107 


This exercise in thinking is one that makes very great 
demands on your concentrative powers, but you will find, that 
if you persevere with it the constant practice will soon develop 
your thinking powers—in other words, your thought power 
and memory will grow, just as your muscle power will grow— 
by steady and careful practice. 

EXERCISE NO. 28. 

CONCENTRATION APPLIED TO MEMORY. 

Here is another excellent memory exercise which demands 
high concentrative effort. As the concentration, so will the 
memory tend to be. 

Read carefully a short sentence once only; read it aloud, for 
this will, in most cases, help the memory. Now see if you can 
write it down. Next try a longer sentence and see if you can 
write it down. Try now to write both sentences. Gradually 
extend as you find your memory grow—you will get good 
results if you keep on. 

As a variation, read a sentence and mark it No. One. Then 
read a sentence in a totally different book, and mark it No. 
Two. Try now to write down sentence No. One. Other 
variations will suggest themselves to you. 

To succeed in this exercise will mean succeeding in con¬ 
centration, for you cannot obtain results without great concen¬ 
tration. You must keep out of mind every thought, but that 
on which you are engaged; never give way in the least, even 
though some good idea comes into your mind. To give way 
is fatal to concentration. 

Do not be in despair if you make slow progress. Remem¬ 
ber, you are fighting all your past inattention, and that is not 
overcome in a week or so. Always make a point of reading 
each sentence aloud—your ear is a valuable ally in the fight. 
This will not apply if you are deficient in auditory memory— 
see under “Mental Imagery” in Part Four. Also study Les¬ 
sons 23 and 24, in Part Four. 

EXERCISE NO. 29. 

CONCENTRATION APPLIED TO BAD HABITS. 

If you are a victim or slave to any bad habit, you can obtain 
great power over it by the following exercise in concentration: 


108 


THE MASTER KEY 


Lie down on your bed or couch and shut your eyes, and 
imagine yourself standing in front of you. 

Suppose, for example, you are a slave to drink. Imagine 
that you are talking to your imaginary self about the horridness 
of drunkenness. Then imagine you are giving advice as to how 
to control this awful habit. Picture to him (that is, yourself) 
the delights of sobriety, contrasted with the degradation of 
drunkenness. 

Imagine you are trying to instill into him your own hatred 
and horror of drunkennes.. Feel this horror, this hatred, until 
your whole mind and body thrills with the feeling. Then, at 
length, dismiss him by telling him that the habit will have no 
power over him any more; that you will help him to overcome 
it, and he will overcome it. 

If the concentration in this exercise is perfect, you will find 
growing up in you a hatred against the habit which enslaves 
you. Cases are on record where men addicted to drink have 
so talked to and admonished themselves in this manner that 
whisky made them ill whenever they took it, and they were 
forced to give it up. 


EXERCISE NO. 30. 

EXERCISE IN ATTENTION. 

Hang your watch up on a nail on a level with your eye (in a 
sitting posture). Now sit away from the watch a distance of 
from three to four feet, according as your eyesight is good 

Now fix your gaze on the second hand and let your eye 
follow it in its travels round the minute center. Gaze for five 
minutes, and think only of the second hand and its journey. 

This exercise will afford you an excellent test as to whether 
your concentrative powers are growing. When you first take 
up the exercise the pointer will seem to travel at a very slow 
rate, and sometimes you will imagine it has stopped or is goin£ 
to stop. But as your concentration develops you will find that 
the pointer will seem to go round much quicker, until later it 
will seem almost to race round. 

This is a capital exercise for any odd moments you do not 
know what to do with, such as when you are waiting for some- 

one ’ °r, wa . lt . ,n S for y° ur meals t0 be placed on the table In 
cases like this prop the watch up on the table, or hold it in your 


ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 109 


hand away from you. Remember to keep perfectly still during 
this exercise—this is necessary. 

EXERCISE NO. 31. 

CONCENTRATION IN FAITH. 

If you are a believer, you will find Faith an excellent means 
for developing concentration. Even should you not be a 
strong believer, you may, as a student of concentration, imagine 
yourself as addressing your petitions to the invisible forces of 
life. Many can assure you, from personal experience, that 
you will get results. If you doubt, read the history of any 
creed, and you will find that every creed gets results by faith. 

It is owing to this universality that some ascribe the answer¬ 
ing of prayer, not to a spiritual agency, but as founded in un¬ 
known psychological laws. You can be pragmatic, and choose 
according to your faith. 

We will suppose, then, that you have a desire that you wish 
fulfilled, or that you want special guidance in a difficulty. Con¬ 
centrate your mind on this (in the privacy of your own room) 
and express your desire, making it perfectly clear and definite 
what you want. Have absolute Faith shown in what way you 
can co-operate to have your desire fulfilled. Everything de¬ 
pends upon your Faith definiteness; you must know what you 
want and Believe you will get it. 

You will find that according to your ability to concentrate, 
believe and state clearly your wants, that things will come your 
way in connection with the thing you desire. How they come 
cannot be told from a material standpoint, but thousands of 
people have found that they do come in answer to their peti¬ 
tions, or faith, and the author most earnestly advises you to 
follow in their steps. 

Even should you not gain the thing you desire, you will 
greatly advance in concentration, and so, indirectly, you may 
gain the power to get, yourself, that which you have had 
faith in. 

Give thirty minutes to this exercise, and remember to 
picture in your faith mind the thing you want, always finishing 
up by picturing yourself in mind, as really possessing the thing 
you have asked for. Sit perfectly still during this exercise. 
Close your eyes if you find it more helpful. 


i 


110 


THE MASTER KEY 


EXERCISE NO. 32. 

CONCENTRATION APPLIED TO AN OBJECT IN LIFE. 

Every man and woman desires to succeed in life and the 
surest way to do this is to have an object in life, and to con¬ 
centrate on that object daily with the faith and belief that you 
will gain it. 

The method advised here is as follows: Sit at ease in your 
room, and think upon what you wish to be. Imagine you 
see your desired end, and then try to define, that is, make 
clear all the steps leading up to it. Then see your end achieved. 

. Tr y t0 picture yourself the successful man, or woman, you 
wish to be. Imagine how you would act; how you would 
speak. Now go over the steps again and use auto-suggestion 
on yourself by repeating the following: 

Say: “I can be this kind of a man. I will be this man. I 
am this man. Nothing shall stop me from being a success. I 
know the steps I must take to reach my end, and I shall let 
nothing hinder my taking these steps. I believe I shall event¬ 
ually reach my end in view. I SHALL. I SHALL.” fSav 
this aloud.) v y 

After you have concentrated in this manner, try to follow 
and live out the character in your daily life. Make every effort, 
and you will find that if you do not actually reach what you are 
aiming for you will certainly reach a much higher point, or 
position, than you would otherwise do. 

By following the above plan, you will be doing consciously 
what many successful people have done unconsciously. These 
people have always had an end in view: they have concentrated 
upon it with faith day and night, and they have said to them¬ 
selves when faced with difficulties: “1 shall succeed. I believe 
I shall win. I shall let nothing keep me back. I shall attain 
my desired end ” 

Read biography and you will see that this is true of all 
really successful people. You will find, too, that Science, in 
the new developments in Psychology, is in agreement with the 
principles here laid down . 

You will find this a grand exercise in concentration. Give 
one-half hour to it at each sitting. A word of warning—Do 
not let the exercise degenerate into mere day-dreaming; be in 
dead earnest all the time. 


3% Haster 2Crg 

CHAPTER XVI. 

LESSON FOURTEEN. 

SCIENTIFIC CONCENTRATION. 

ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE. 

SUMMARY OF LESSON FOURTEEN. 

This is a very difficult Lesson, so difficult that no student 
can hope to master all of it without sincere study, but the 
attempt to master will have valuable results; and as you begin 
to make a little headway it will have an important bearing on 
your future career. 


Exercise No. 33. Concentration Applied to 

_ . Reading .Page No. 113 

Exercise No. 34. Concentration Applied to 

Muscle-Control .Page No. 114 

Exercise No. 35. Exercise in Attention .Page No. 115 

Exercise No. 36. Exercise in Attention .Page No. 115 

Exercise No. 37. Concentration Applied to 

_ . XT Defining .Page No. 116 

Exercise No. 38. Exercise in Attention.Page No. 117 

Exercise No. 39. Concentration Applied to 

. Speech.Page No. 117 

Exercise No. 40. Errors in Concentration.Page No. 118 


Exercises No. 33 and No. 35 are particularly difficult and 
must be attacked very, very carefully. Follow instructions im¬ 
plicitly. 

Pay particular attention to Exercise No. 39; it is one of 
the most important in this Volume. 

Exercise No. 40 is very important, and will repay you 
splendidly if always acted on. 

Ill 












112 


THE MASTER KEY 


ESSENTIALS OF LESSON FOURTEEN. 

The author wishes to speak to you here of several things 
which detract from attention and so hinder perfect concentra¬ 
tion and mental discipline. 

Nearly every man or woman who has a knotty problem to 
solve (be it one of study, business or connected with the 
ordinary affairs of life) is guilty of some mental weakness 
which accompanies the act of attending to the problem. 

Some men sit smoking a pipe, and watching the smoke as 
it rises from their lips. Some people cannot think the problem 
out without a drumming accompaniment of their hands on the 
table. Some sit all bunched up, every muscle tense, and every 
nerve on the stretch. Others are on the move all the time— 
some with every part of their body; others by walking rapidly 
to and fro across the floor. All these people are thinking. 
They will tell you they cannot think otherwise than by fol¬ 
lowing one or other of the above methods. 

Now suppose that any of these people are so situated that 
they cannot employ any of these tricks of attention. What 
happens? They are practically helpless. This should be one 
reason why you, as a student of concentration, should not em¬ 
ploy any of these tricks. 

Again, if you analyze any of these methods, you will find 
that none of these people attain anything approaching “perfect 
attention.” The attention of the smoker wanders to. the 
wreaths of smoke, and to their manifestations of form. The 
people who drum on the table, find their thoughts wandering 
to the table or the drumming, and so on with the other cases. 

Now there is only one way in which perfect attention (rela¬ 
tively) can be gained, and that is by being perfectly still. No 
matter what the problem may be you have to solve, sit down 
to it quietly. Sit upright in your chair and never move a 
muscle. Do not move foot, hand, finger, head, or in fact any 
part of your body, unless absolutely obliged to do so. be quiet. 

At first you may not succeed so well as formerly, as your 
whole body will rebel; but you will find, as you keep on, that 
you will think better and quicker than formerly, for instead of 
wasting energy on the thinking you have saved it, and are now 
ready to act on your thinking. 

If your thinking has to be long and keen, sit perfectly still 


ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 113 

with your eyes closed (if circumstances will permit), and see 
that your muscles are in their normal state. 

Remember in all your thinking to observe the following 
rule: Sit (or stand, if the conditions must be such), perfectly 
still, every part of your body at rest, every muscle relaxed. 
By so doing you will think without strain, and the quality of 
your thinking will be higher, and the time spent much shorter. 


EXERCISE NO. 33. 

CONCENTRATION APPLIED TO READING. 

Go into a room where a conversation is going on. Take up 
a book and try to read, making up your mind that you will not 
listen to a single word of the conversation. Say to yourself 
before commencing: “I WILL (i. e., determine) that I shall 
not hear a single word of this conversation.” 

Read for five minutes and then try to see how much of the 
conversation you can write down. Never mind if it seems 
disjointed. Write down what you can remember, even 
though it should be just a few words. Note—this is not a 
memory exercise, therefore, the more words you are able to 
write down the worse for your concentration, for it proves 
that the conversation has affected you, and hindered you con¬ 
centrating on what you have been reading. 

This is an extremely difficult exercise (not the writing 
down, but the ability to keep the mind closed, as it were, to 
the conversation that is going on around you). Especially 
will you find it difficult if the passage you have selected re¬ 
quires close attention, or where the subject is not particularly 
interesting. 

This exercise makes great demands on your concentrative 
powers and is, therefore, very important. It is extremely 
valuable to students, or to business people, who have often to 
attend to intricate problems, or complicated detail, while the 
hum of conversation is going on around them. 

To some people this type of concentration is natural, as is 
instanced by some authors who can write while surrounded by 
conversation and other distractions. 

Always remember to preface the exercise by affirming that 
you will not hear a single word of the conversation around you. 
This will help you. 


114 


THE MASTER KEY 


Seek occasions to practice this exercise. You will find 
them in your home, in a railway train, in a restaurant, while 
sitting in the park, etc. Do not be discouraged if you make 
slow progress; like all true progress it is a gradual process. 

Some of the other exercises in this section will help you to 
attain this type of concentration. 


EXERCISE NO. 34. 

CONCENTRATION APPLIED TO MUSCLE CONTROL. 

In some of the other exercises there has been directions 
given to control the muscles. The following exercise is to 
develop still further control of the muscles, but it is one that 
needs, at first, the co-operation of another person. 

Whenever the ordinary man or woman contracts a muscle, 
sympathetic attraction is set up in various other muscles; this 
can be prevented by concentrating the mind solely on the 
muscles you wish contracted. 

Suppose you clench your fist with the arm fully extended, 
and then draw your arm up to your shoulder, and suppose 
someone is holding your other arm—the instant you clench 
your fist and draw up arm No. 1 your friend will feel arm No. 
2 contract sympathetically. 

Now the way to overcome this is for your friend to keep 
lifting arm No. 2 and letting it fall, while you are contracting 
the other arm. By so doing the muscles become, in time, re¬ 
laxed, and you can concentrate perfectly on one set of muscles 
in arm No. 1 without (comparatively) any sympathetic attrac¬ 
tion being set up in arm No. 2. 

Practice next with the legs, first with one and then with 
the other, until you have the same control over them as you 
have obtained over the arms. After a time you can dispense 
with the aid of a second party. You will find these exercises 
very difficult for a time, but as they are not impossible, you 
can look forward to conquering them. 

You can easily avoid telling your friend what you are after. 
Tell him you have read about sympathetic attraction and are 
desirous of experimenting. Practice when convenient for your 
friend to attend. 


ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 115 


EXERCISE NO. 35. 

EXERCISE IN ATTENTION. 

Lie down on your bed, stretch your feet down as far as they 
will go, then stretch your arms out to their full extent across the 
bed. Now relax. (See Exercise No. 1.) 

After you have rested a minute or two, try to make your 
mind a blank. As each thought comes into your mind, by an 
effort of will, try to reject it, that is, do not follow it up and 
so allow a train of thought to be established. Resolutely put 
each thought to one side and try to think of nothing—make 
the mind a complete blank. 

The first trial of this exercise will make you declare it im¬ 
possible. It is not impossible, for many students of advanced 
concentration, especially in India, have accomplished it. Of 
course, it cannot be sustained for a long time, although some 
Indian Students declare it can. But whether long or short, 
it is a valuable exercise in concentration, because it develops 
great will-power, and thought-control. 

As has been said, the first feeling is one of despair, but 
after a few weeks' trial you will not be so discouraged. You 
have much the same feeling when first you commence to learn 
a musical instrument. You think is impossible to make head¬ 
way, but gradually the power comes, and you cease to wonder. 

You must be exceedingly careful in your first attempts at 
this exercise. Do not practice it for longer than a minute at a 
time, and only once per day for the first week or so. Extend 
very gradually. When you can keep the mind blank for nearly 
three minutes you will have developed a wonderful control over 
your thoughts. 

EXERCISE NO. 36. 

EXERCISE IN ATTENTION. 

Lie down as in the previous exercise, and make the mind a 
blank for a few seconds. Then instantly commence to think 
of a subject. (Decide on the subject before lying down.) 

Suppose, for example, you choose health. (Never mind if 
at the time you are not in good health.) Try to think what 
it means to be in perfect health; what your appearance would be 
like, the pleasure it would bring, the freedom from illness. 


116 


THE MASTER KEY 


Then, when you feel you have exhausted the subject, banish it 
by making 1 the mind a blank again. After a few seconds rise. 

You should choose a fresh subject each day, such as Wealth, 
Power, Position, Influence, Love, Happiness, etc. Think also 
of any particular ideal you should like to see realized, but never 
think negative thoughts, such as, Fear, Ill-health, Misery, Hate, 
Death, etc., for it is a law in concentration, for which there is 
a sound psychological basis, that what we concentrate upon, 
that we tend to become. 

Many people take advantage of this law by concentrating 
daily upon their future, mapping it out clearly, and WILLING 
at the same time, that it SHALL come to pass. (Exercise 
No. 32 exemplifies this.) 

The difficulty in this exercise is to keep the mind to its 
subject, as, after the period of blankness, it tends to rush along 
at top speed. Keep a firm control over it and never allow it to 
wander from the subject. As soon as the exercise is over 
( I 5 minutes) banish from the mind the subject you have 
concentrated on. 


EXERCISE NO. 37. 

CONCENTRATION APPLIED TO DEFINING. 

One of the most difficult things in the world of thought is 
the power to define. Suppose you are asked to define the word 
chair; you will probably answer: “Something to sit on ” But 
you can sip on the ground, would you call it a chair? Then 
you try again: “A chair is something we sit on to eat our food 
or sit in to read.” But this does not tell us what the chair 
is, what it is made of, its appearance; you have only told us 
certain uses to which we put it. 

You should read a book like Davidson’s—“The Look of 
Definition and you will get an idea of the difficulty of the 
Or read under “Definition” in any good book on 

To give a good definition makes great demands on most 
people s concentrative powers. Ask yourself what a table is 
or a book, desk clock, piano, lamp, etc. Then look up these 
words in a good dictionary and see how the dictionary defini 
tion agrees with your definition. Of course, the dictiona™ 
definition is often far from accurate, yet for the purpose of 
this exercise it will, generally speaking, suffice. P 


ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 117 


In defining anything, be on your guard against merely 
describing it. For instance, if you were asked to define the 
word “Negro” and you replied: “A black man” that would 
not be definition, but description. A definition is the explicit 
statement of all the attributes of a term, and only such attri¬ 
butes as are implied by the name. 

You will find that defining things will make your ideas 
distinct and adequate, and the effort will do you good, even 
though you fail to give a definition that will satisfy a professor 
of Logic. Practice this exercise in any spare moment. 

EXERCISE NO. 38. 

EXERCISE IN ATTENTION. 

Take any simple word of three letters, such as, MAY, 
CAN, PEN, CAT, TOP, HAT, etc., and write it down in 
bold, black letters. 

Write it in the center of a piece of clean writing paper (i. e., 
free from any other writing matter), and gaze steadily at 
the middle letter. You must try now to obliterate out of your 
mind the idea of the word. Concentrate solely on the middle 
letter. 

Suppose the word you have written is MAY. Do not let 
the thought of “MAY” cross your mind, think only of the 
letter “A.” You will find that the mind will struggle, it will 
want to take in the word as a whole, and will try to spell or 
pronounce the name mentally. This you must try to prevent. 

This exercise looks very simple, perhaps, but in reality it is 
very difficult, and that is the reason the author has kept it back 
till now. It cannot be done until the mind has had a fair 
amount of training, such as has been given you in previous 
lessons. Try it on a series of words, two minutes at each, at 
different intervals during the day, and you will find that it is 
not so simple as it looks. This is an excellent exercise for 
anyone troubled with mind-wandering. 

EXERCISE NO. 39. 

CONCENTRATION APPLIED TO SPEECH. 

The best way to obtain extraordinary accuracy and flow of 
language is to lay it down as a fixed rule to do your best on 
every occasion, and in every company, to impart whatever you 


118 


THE MASTER KEY 


know in the most.forcible language you can put it in; and that 
by constant practice, and never suffering any careless expres¬ 
sions to escape you, or attempting to deliver your thoughts 
without arranging them in the clearest manner, it will, in time, 
become habitual to you. 

This plan makes an excellent exercise in concentration, for 
it requires constant watchfulness, constant concentration to 
achieve success. The majority of people never try to express 
themselves well. They would be ashamed, probably, if some¬ 
one were to present them with a verbatim report of any con¬ 
versation they had taken part in, where they were unconscious 
that they were being reported, or even watched. 

You should commence from today, and instead of using 
sentences .with no character or swing about them, try to express 
yourself in the best language you can find in which to clothe 
your thoughts. But remember, do not go to the other extreme 
and use long words where short ones would do, or stilted, or 
pedantic language. 

Let your sentences be simple, with no long involved phrases 
or subordinate sentences to try the patience of your hearers. 
Speak naturally (i. e., with no suggestion of artificiality), yet 
with strict regard to grammatical principles, and you will find 
that your conversation will be sought after. 

Read Boswell’s u Life of Johnson,” and you will get an 
excellent idea of what good conversation is, but remember to 
avoid some of the Doctor’s errors due to his fondness of 
hearing himself speak. 

I cannot too strongly urge upon you to pay attention to 
this exercise. To business men, and to professional men, it is 
simply invaluable, as it will mark them out from the ordinary 
man wherever they go, and will command the attention and 
respect of all with whom they come into contact. 


EXERCISE NO. 40. 

ERRORS IN CONCENTRATION. 

The author, in this exercise, wishes to draw your attention 
to some kinds of concentration that are wrong, so that in future 
you may guard against them. 

Emerson has a saying: (( If you are interested in a hook, put 
it away” Do you know what he meant? He meant to guard 


ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 119 

you against concentrating wrongly. Anything you are inter¬ 
ested in you concentrate on naturally. The danger is that 
you get so interested that you do not notice the effect upon 
your nervous system, or the effect upon your muscles, or upon 
your eyes. 

Always be on your guard then in reading an interesting 
book. Stop every now and then and note if there is any strain 
anywhere—especially watch your breathing, for it is the first 
to suffer from this wrong concentration. It is a good practice 
to put the book to one side in its most interesting part and 
concentrate upon something else. This will show you if the 
book is having too strong an effect upon you, for if it has, 
it will be impossible for you to concentrate upon anything else. 
Never let a book make you say: “I could not put it down till 
I finished it.” If you do so, you have paid for the book in 
more than cash. 

Watch your concentration in games. If you win, never let 
it lead you to excess; if you lose, never let it make you angry. 
In other words, you have concentrated wrongly on the game 
if it makes you too pleased, or if it annoys you. The havoc 
worked by wrong concentration in games, especially on the 
nerves, is strongly shown in chess contests. The strain on the 
players is something terrible, and many chess players have had 
to give up the game altogether, simply on account of the strain. 
A training in concentration would have avoided all this, and 
given them an enormous advantage over their opponent. 

Note carefully your concentration when you are at the 
theater watching a play. Prepare yourself beforehand by 
determining that you will take special care to control your 
emotions. Take your mind off the play now and again and 
examine yourself critically. If you are all strung up, you 
have concentrated wrongly. Instead of concentrating on the 
play, you have simply let yourself be hypnotized, and the actors 
have done what they liked with your emotions. Follow the 
same method or plan when listening to a speaker, or to a 
musical performance. 

Watch your concentration in an argument. If it makes you 
lose your temper, you have concentrated wrongly. Instead of 
aiming at the validity of the argument and trying to confine 
your opponent to the same you have handed over to him your 
strongest weapon, viz., your self-control. You should concen¬ 
trate upon the determination of the argument, and your desire 


120 


THE MASTER KEY 


should be that the right or truth will prevail. Whichever way 
the argument goes then, that is, whether you win or lose, will 
not matter to you—you have done what you set out to do— 
you have concentrated rightly. 

If you follow out the principles given in this work, that is, 
here, make exercises of them, you will benefit in health; you 
will gain a reputation for calmness and coolness; you will de¬ 
velop your powers of concentration and mental discipline to an 
extent unknown to the vast majority of mankind. 

HEALTH AND MENTAL FORCE. 

Whatever contributes to the health, vitality, goodness of 
heart and soundness of mental force contributes to success in 
life. Health and vitality being the leading requisites, 
the health habits of the student should be good, his will strong, 
while patience, endurance, perseverance and sympathies should 
be marked features in his character. He should have a good, 
full, clear eye. His gaze should be honest, steady and pen¬ 
etrating . 

Health is largely a question of constitution—it is in-bred— 
“Comes by Nature.” Its maintenance is requisite, but the how 
of its preservation and maintenance need not be entered upon 
here.* Every student’s life should be governed by “temperance 
in all things;” he should abstain from gross foods, impure 
drinks and associations, cultivate the good and true within 
himself. I might say that early and regular habits—morning 
bath, simple diet, adequate physical exercise, calmness and even¬ 
ness of mind, will largely contribute to successful results. As 
for the rest, the student must study and practice. 

Vitality.— To add and store up vitality and to make your 
physique appear attractive, think and practice the following: 

(i) At meal times make it a point to masticate every 
morsel as thoroughly as possible, and think and picture within 
yourself that you are extracting a good deal of strength from 
the food. 

O). When practicing the breathing implant the idea in 
your mind that you are absorbing within you Nature’s life 
forces in abundance. 

(3) While taking a bath concentrate and believe that you 

♦Those interested in the Psychology of Faith, Health and Disease 
should study Lesson Thirty-two, Thirty-three and Thirty-four. 



ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 121 


are drawing health and strength from the water you bathe in 
to vivify your system and to make your physique strong. 

The Will. —Next to health comes self-government, the 
development of will and the power to concentrate your ener¬ 
gies. Will can be cultivated by the exercises given in Part 
Four, but the initial power of will will depend upon your Con¬ 
centration and Mental Discipline. A person deficient in Firm¬ 
ness, Self-esteem, Conscientiousness and Continuity is not 
likely to have a strong will. But if, in addition to the fore¬ 
going, they have those faculties which tend to timidity, lack 
of concentration, want of courage, as far as will is concerned, 
they would not develop concentration. 

If you grasp the elementary principles of Concentration 
and Mental Discipline you will be the master of the laws 
through which the human mind is moulded and swayed and 
of that intangible and subtle power which controls where even 
daggers fail. 

“How poor are they that have not Patience! 

What wound did ever heal but by degrees?” 

— Shakespeare. 

Patience and perseverance is the price of success. It mat¬ 
ters not how unimportant these instructions may seem to you, 
or how simple they may appear; make up your mind to follow 
them in every detail; do not pass judgment upon a thing until 
you have given it a fair trial; remember the greatest things 
in life are often the simplest things. It may seem to you that 
the exercises are too simple to produce the astounding results 
which the writer claims, but if you will only give the Lessons 
a thorough trial you will be more than enthusiastic in your 
praises of them. 

When you finish Part Two you will feel astounded at your 
success and the degree of your advancement. The salient and 
all-important advice is (t Learn each lesson before taking up the 
next ” Unless you succeed in the first and until you succeed 
in that, you should not take up the next lesson. If you proceed 
contrary to directions, the author is not responsible for your 
success. Remember, the instructions now laid before you are 
the foundation over which you will have to build the structure 
of success. They are THE MASTER KEY, and without it 
the doors of Concentration will not be opened to you. Master 
it well and your complete success is certain. 


122 


THE MASTER KEY 


Self-Control is that quality in man which attracts interest, 
confidence, friendship and love of mankind. This is the secret 
of success. 

“In character, in manners, in style, in all things the supreme excellence 
is simplicity.”— Longfellow. 

In conversation observe the following rules: Never inter¬ 
rupt a person while speaking; appear to pay attention and to 
be interested in the conversation, but do not let his thoughts 
produce any real impression upon you. Avoid arguments on 
any and all subjects, for every one has got his own opinions. 
Do not attract attention by either your loud talk or laughter, 
or show your egotism by trying to absorb in conversation. 
Avoid whispering or conversing in a language that all the par¬ 
ties may not be acquainted with. If you are gifted with wit, 
do not make a display of it. Do not use slangwords and never 
indulge in idle or ill natured gossip. Do not boast of your 
achievements. Never make fun of the peculiarities or idiosyn- 
cracies of people with whom you come in contact. 

“Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy 
But not expressed in fancy;'rich, not gaudy; 

For the apparel oft proclaims the man.” 

— Shakespeare. 

Always be simple, neat and clean. Keep your body clean 
and void of any bad odor, and let your clothes be brushed and 
neat. 

Be always polite, for politeness is the oil that lubricates so¬ 
ciety. Avoid arrogance and sycophancy. Be plain and unas¬ 
suming. Study the characteristics of each and every man 
whom you wish to influence. Never get excited in conversa¬ 
tion. Always be obliging and ready to assist others out of 
misfortunes and dilemmas. Be as agreeable to your social in¬ 
feriors as to your equals and superiors. 

If you are quick tempered and apt to give way to a fear 
of misfortune or worry, you should pay particular attention to 
the lessons given in Part Four, under “Will Culture.” 

Cultivate a frank and open manner. Always be earnest 
when you talk. It not only holds the attention of the people to 
whom you are talking, but it is also a valuable aid to you. 

Cultivate an agreeable tone of voice, avoiding a mumbling 
utterance on the one hand and a loud, boisterous tone on the 
other. An excellent rule is to pitch the voice to the tone of the 
party with whom you are conversing, providing always that 


ATTENTION AND MENTAL DISCIPLINE 123 

you do not shout, in order to keep pace with the other person. 
If the other man shouts, keep your own voice even and subdued 
and he will soon drop to your pitch. 

The eye is the all-potent factor in influencing people. It 
not only seems to hold the attention of the person to whom 
you are talking, but it is also a power in impressing your will 
upon another. The eye of the man who has mastered the laws 
of mental control is a powerful weapon. 

NOTICE TO STUDENTS. 

After you have finished this Lesson, you are advised to read 
over again the “Hints on Practicing” given in Lesson Eleven, 
and follow the advice there given as to future practice. 

Students whose time is limited are advised to give special 
practice to the “Essentials of Concentration” in each Lesson. 
Try to carry these out in your daily life, i. e., LIVE the exer¬ 
cises. 

Busy students should give prominence to the following 
exercises: Exercises Nos. i, 3, 15, 22, 23, 24, 32, 33, 35, 37, 
39, 40. If these are practiced whenever possible students will 
not fail to make considerable headway in Concentration and 
Mental Discipline . 


Shr HaHtrr 2Crg 

fart ©tjm 

CHAPTER XVII. 

LESSON FIFTEEN. 

ATTENTION. 

VOLUNTARY ATTENTI ON—NON-VOLUNTARY 
ATTENTION. 

WHAT IS ATTENTION? 

The mind is always busy—the stream of consciousness is 
ever flowing; even in our sleep we are never wholly uncon¬ 
scious, for the mind has its sentinels ever on the watch, and 
our dreams are but an echo of these. 

Thousands of messages are being sent to and from the 
brain every hour of our lives; some of these are rushed into 
consciousness, and as we become aware of them we are said 
to attend to them. * Attention of this character is termed 
Non-Voluntary. We are compelled to attend even though our 
attention is but momentary. 

But when we deliberately turn the stream of consciousness 
into a definite channel and attend to one object, such attention 
is termed Voluntary Attention, and it is this kind of attention 
which chiefly concerns us in Concentration. 

Voluntary Attention, therefore, is simply nothing else than 
the mind’s directive power—the power to turn the stream of 
consciousness aside from its mad rush into a definite channel or 
train of thought. 

Students should distinguish between the terms “Conscious¬ 
ness” and “Attention.” “Consciousness” may be said to be 
that state of mind which results whenever sensory impressions 

*See example under section Forced Attention. 

124 



ATTENTION 


125 


produce a mental experience. “Attention” on the other hand, 
emphasizes the selective character of the organized process of 
mental life. 

Forced Attention. 

By forced attention is what might be termed Non-Volun¬ 
tary Attention. There are many ways in which we are forced 
or compelled to pay attention, as shown in this chapter. 

Business of any kind tends to attract our attention. We 
feel compelled to notice a very tall man or woman, or anything 
of abnormal size. Loudness comes under this category; a loud 
sound commands more attention than a weak sound—it arouses 
attention in half the time that a weak sound will take. Shocks, 
or anything of a startling nature, instantly command attention. 
We may say, therefore, that intensity of any kind is a facili¬ 
tating influence in gaining attention. 

Neatness, cleanliness and orderly arrangement command 
more attention than their opposites; the latter fill us with dis¬ 
gust and our attention soon dies away. In some schools and 
laboratories it has been found that students pay much greater 
attention and do better work where all the appointments are 
well ordered than where these are of an indifferent character. 

Expectation forces us to attend. If we are expecting a 
friend calling at our house, we hear and attend to every ring 
at the bell. The same applies when we are expecting a letter 
by the morning's post. 

Curiosity also compels attention. If we see a crowd around 
a shop window we feel compelled to go and see the cause. This 
feeling is strong in children, and should be taken advantage of 
by all who are entrusted with their training. 

The unusual also commands attention. Public speakers, 
clergymen, writers and many others take advantage of this fact 
to arouse attention. A certain divine, preaching once on the 
subject of “Sin,” illustrated the rapidity of the “downward 
path” by sliding down (hobby-horse style) the pulpit rails. 
He did not have to complain of inattention afterwards. 

Movement. We are more inclined to pay attention to a 
moving object than to a still object. Scouts are aware of this. 
Where it is necessary for them to raise their heads to the hori¬ 
zon line or sky-line (as in looking over a hill top) they are 
careful to raise the head very gradually and as gradually let it 
descend. 


126 


THE MASTER KEY 


Pleasure. Once an object gives us pleasure it tends to draw 
our attention to it on another occasion. Bad habits and vices, 
viewed genetically, illustrate this fact. 

Experience . Our past experience plays a great part in com¬ 
manding our attention. A retired army officer, or a detective, 
for instance, will feel compelled to attend to anything which 
recalls his past experience. This applies to any walk of life; 
anything connected with an individual’s experience will force 
him to attend to it, through the law of habit. 

Interest. A man who is anxious about his weight will no¬ 
tice any appearance of stoutness in his friends. The same 
applies to a man anxious about his hair; that is, turning grey, 
or showing signs of baldness. People who are about to furnish 
will notice furniture shops and the furniture in the houses of 
their friends. People who are about to take their holidays will 
notice anything relative to holiday resorts, especially where 
reference is made to the place to which they think of going. 
Students of all kinds will notice at once anything in books or 
newspapers bearing on their studies. And business men, also, 
will feel compelled to attend to anything in newspapers, etc., 
referring to their line of business. 

Note. —The author particularly requests students who wish 
to gain control or influence over their fellows to ponder over 
the above points, and also make a close study of Personal Mag¬ 
netism , Chapter XXVII.; Lesson Twenty-five. They can be— 
and are—made use of by business men, schoolmasters and 
teachers, clergymen, writers, etc., to their great advantage. 

HOW INATTENTION MAY BE TURNED INTO 
ATTENTION. 

The simplest way to turn Inattention into Attention is to 
see a practical gain as the resultant. Suppose a schoolmaster 
tells his pupils, on a day when they will all seem stupid and 
listless, that as soon as they finish the problems on which they 
are engaged they may go home; you will soon see a difference 
in their attitude. A stranger coming in now would pronounce 
them a fine lot of little fellows— so attentive, eager, etc. The 
reason, of course, is that they see personal advantage as a result 
of their labors. 

Note.—Students who can see a practical gain—not necessarily 
a monetary gain—as likely to result from their work, will more 
than double their capacity for that work. 


ATTENTION 


127 


Notice how a new set of conditions turns Inattention into 
Attention. Let us suppose you are on a first visit to a certain 
town. You will notice that every street, building, tree, garden, 
the passers by—their speech, gait, dress, gestures, etc.—makes 
a bid for your attention; you feel you must attend to what is 
going on around you. Should you stay in the town for any 
length of time, your attention in this respect will weaken. 
Hence, familiarity tends to weaken attention, and inversely 
the novel or unusual stimulates it and calls forth its powers. 
Thus it is that when first you enter a town you will probably 
notice and comment upon things of which the inhabitants of 
the town are ignorant. After a lengthy stay you will be in 
much the same position; strangers may be able to point out 
things which you have never noticed. 

Test the above by observation in your own city. Look at 
buildings of any kind and see if there is anything about them 
which you have never noticed before. Look at your friends 
and apply the same test. 

Repetition tends to turn Inattention into Attention. For 
instance, have you ever noticed how a drumming on the table 
by some one when you are reading is at first almost unheard, 
and then it seems to steal further into consciousness, until 
finally it creates intense irritation ? This phenomenon is termed 
the <( summation of stimuli ” i. e. y the power of a weak stimulus 
to gain attention by repetition. Advertisers make use of this 
fact; they know that repetition tends to turn Inattention into 
Attention , and so they keep their advertisements constantly 
before the public. Many students know the power of repeti¬ 
tion ; a text-book, which at first seemed powerless to gain their 
attention, by constant going over it gradually develops more 
and more attention, until finally interest is created. 

The following, also, illustrates the power of repetition: 
Get a puzzle-picture and examine it carefully. Note how the 
hidden face, for instance, gradually unfolds itself, as it were, 
until finally it dominates the picture. You cannot think now 
that it is possible for anyone to glance even casually at the 
picture without discovering the face. Continued or repeated 
repetition therefore clarifies the vision. 

The camera illustrates how Inattention is turned into Atten¬ 
tion. If you examine a photograph of a landscape, you can 
tell at a glance what portions of the scene the photographer 
wished to make prominent, for that portion will stand out dis- 


128 


THE MASTER KEY 


tinct; the other portions of the scene will be indistinct. Simi¬ 
larly, if you were to look at the actual landscape which the 
photograph illustrates, you will see clearly only those portions 
on which you focus your attention; the portions outside the 
focus will be indistinct, or not seen at all. 

If you find it difficult to pay attention to anything, you can 
facilitate the process by preparing the sensory and motor cen¬ 
ters.* For instance, if a friend tells you he is going to strike 
a note on the piano, your ears will be prepared to hear the note, 
and you will hear it quicker than without this preparation. Now 
apply this to study. Before commencing your studies, prepare 
the brain by a rough idea, or review, of what you are about to 

study. Say to yourself: “I am going to study-text-book” 

(name the book). “I shall pay strict attention to it; I shall 
not waste time; I shall read quickly and try to apprehend as 
quickly as possible what I read; I am going to give all my 
attention to my work; I shall shut out everything irrelevant.” 

Preparation of this kind acts as a stimulus; the thinking 
centers—if I may so term them—and the memory centers 
are ready for action, and you will work with much greater 
rapidity and exactness. 

If you find it difficult to keep your mind on what you are 
reading, you can make the process easier by silently articu¬ 
lating each word. Many people adopt the same plan in listen¬ 
ing to a speech, a sermon, or a lecture, when they find it diffi¬ 
cult to keep the mind in the track of the thought. 

ATTENTION TO DIFFERENT OBJECTS. 

There is a difference of opinion among psychologists as to 
the number of objects we can'attend to in the same attention- 
process, but the majority seem to lean to the view that under 
such conditions we cannot attend to more than one or two ob¬ 
jects. The power, however, varies in different individuals, de¬ 
pending on the natural powers of perception, and also on the 
amount of practice they have had, for practice greatly quickens 
our perceptive powers. 

When objects are grouped in threes or fours, where the 
objects are related somewhat, we can attend to a greater num¬ 
ber of objects. Where the objects are unrelated, the number 

*For an explanation of these terms see under “Interest” Chapter 
XIX, Lesson Seventeen, in Part Three. 




ATTENTION 


129 


is not so large. Familiarity with the objects likewise helps 
us as to the number to which we can attend; anything which 
we have seen only a few times takes us longer to grasp than 
that with which we have long been familiar. The student 
should remember that the mind takes in each group as a unit 
—the number of individuals comprising each group is the re¬ 
sultant of practice. 

STRAIN IN ATTENTION. 

Strain in attention is chiefly due to— 

First —Wrong posture. 

Second —Faulty respiration. 

Third —Worry; the latter is the chief offender. 

It is the person who worries who finds the greatest strain 
in attention. Students who puzzle their brains over a problem 
know the harmful effect of this kind of attention. Business 
men, too, know how worry saps their energy when it enters 
into the attention-processes of business. 

The attitude to adopt in such conditions is to attend quietly 
and calmly, and if no result can be obtained (as in trying to 
solve a problem) it is well to leave the matter over if possible, 
and come back to it again later on. 

Students often waste precious time trying to grasp the 
meaning of a statement (for which they are not prepared) 
in a text-book; they refuse to leave the page and they will 
worry an hour or more in a vain attempt to master the state¬ 
ment. The best method is to mark such passages and read on. 
Often a few pages further on in the book one will come across 
something which illuminates the difficult passage and you real¬ 
ize its meaning in a flash. 

Similarly, a business man who adopts this method will 
refuse to worry over business difficulties relating to details 
which he cannot fit into their place. Later on in the day or 
week he will often find the solution in something else which 
seems totally unrelated. 

Wrong Posture and Faulty Respiration have a great deal 
to do with the feeling of strain in attention. Notice people 
listening to a speaker, or watching an enthralling play, or read¬ 
ing an interesting book. Notice the tensity of the muscles, 
the shallow breathing, the huddled up position of the body. Is 
it any wonder that such people find attention a strain? 


130 


THE MASTER KEY 


Students of this work should guard against wrong posture 
and faulty respiration in attention. The student who cultivates 
control of mind and body when listening, watching, or reading, 
and sees that his muscles are properly relaxed, will find the feel¬ 
ing of strain reduced to a minimum. 

THE HABIT OF ATTENTION—HOW TO CULTI¬ 
VATE IT. 

To cultivate the habit of attention demands as its prime 
requisite an inclination to attend. Given the inclination, you 
must next learn to direct it and control it. 

The easiest way to cultivate attention is found in repetition; 
that is to say, that which has gained the attention in the past 
makes further attention an easier matter. To extend the field 
of attention the student must always go back to the old; that 
is, he must always show the old in the new—he must correlate 
his experience. 

The great difficulty in attention is to keep the attention riv¬ 
eted to its object, and the simplest way to do this is “to make 
it show new aspects of itself ” Suppose you determine to keep 
your attention riveted on a hat for five minutes. The simplest 
way to do this is to ask yourself questions about the hat. What 
kind of a hat is it ? What shape ? What condition is it in, i. e., 
does it show any marks of wear? if so, examine these; who 
is its maker? examine it and see if there is any name on it; 
what size is it? etc., etc. 

Apply the same principle to business, study, or sport. Ask 
questions about them; ask their relation to yourself; ask what 
difficulties they represent and how they can be overcome. Ask 
other people how any of these things appeal to them—get their 
point of view. If you go about your questioning in a definite 
manner interest will be created and difficulties will vanish. 

Another way to cultivate continuous attention is to practice 
the dismissal of irrelevancies. As ideas and thoughts arise 
unrelative to the object of attention, practice putting them to 
one side. Refuse to entertain them. Say to yourself: ‘Tam 

attending to -” (name subject or object). “I refuse to 

think of anything else. ,, This habit can be acquired by con¬ 
stant practice, and as soon as interest is created in the subject 
you are attending to the necessity for thought-dismissal will 
not exist. 



ATTENTION 


131 


The habit of attention is facilitated by practicing control 
over respiration. “The French designate a clever but super¬ 
ficial thinker as one incapable of any work ‘de longue haleine’ 
(of long breath).” Students should pay great attention to 
the exercise on breathing in Lesson Twelve of this work. 

Students who wish to attain the highest powers of atten¬ 
tion must cultivate repose. Prof. Bain puts it concisely: (( To 
think is to refrain from speaking or acting Movement and 
the Attention-Process are opposed—the one negatives the other. 
The brain needs all its energy for the Attention-Process, for 
attention involves expenditure of energy. Hence to walk about, 
to drum on the table, or to indulge in other forms of move¬ 
ment, is to waste the energy the brain requires for its task. 


®lje Ulastfr 2Crtj 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

LESSON SIXTEEN. 

OBSERVATION. 

DO ALL PERCEIVE THE SAME THING? 

It is a common fallacy that an object sends the same retinal 
message to every eye, and that therefore every eye must see 
alike. Psychologists are able to prove that this is erroneous. 
Apart from the part that experience plays in observation, patho¬ 
logical conditions must be taken into accqunt. 

As a general rule, it may be said that we merely see what 
we have seen before; that is, in some way or other a new 
object is generally related to something we have seen in the 
past. 

WHAT IS INVOLVED IN OBSERVATION? 

To observe does not mean simply to stare at an object; what 
we see in any field or view (i. e., as spread before us) depends 
on what we bring with us to that field. The difference, there¬ 
fore, between a trained observer and an untrained is the differ¬ 
ence between their experience. 

An object may send the same retinal message to two ob¬ 
servers, but the interpretation of the message depends, not on 
the physical eye, but the mental, eye, i. e., the mind behind the 
eye. A botanist will see more in a flower, or a geologist in a 
stone, because they know more about flowers and stones. It 
is this that makes Professor James say: “A blind man like 
Uuber, with his passion for bees and ants, can observe them 
through other people’s eyes better than these can through their 
own.”—( Talks to Teachers.) 

Let a farmer, a naturalist, a geologist, a surveyor, or an 
artist, look at the same view, and each will see something that 

132 


OBSERVATION 


133 


the other does not see, for each interprets the view according 
to the stock of knowledge representing his past experience. 

No one observer can see all that takes place in front of him, 
for, experience apart, what you see depends on what you at¬ 
tend to, and you cannot attend to everything. Even a camera 
cannot register all of a view, for the photograph only represents 
those parts to which the photographer wishes to give promi¬ 
nence. 

To a very great extent observation is subjective; that is, 
it is the work of the mental eye, which sees a very different 
object to the physical eye. Conjuring tricks, illusions, the mis¬ 
takes we overlook when reading, all illustrate the subjective 
element in observation. 

Again, the eye does not always see the same picture when 
looking at an object. To demonstrate this, by personal observa¬ 
tion, look closely at the cubes shown in the accompanying illus¬ 
tration. 


First, look at them and see whether 
there appears to be six cubes, or seven cubes. 

Second, turn the illustration upside 
down and you will find there appears to be 
only six cubes. By looking at the cubes, 
from different angles, you will see some¬ 
times only six and sometimes seven cubes. 

You will also see the cubes change, right before your eyes, 
from six to seven, and from seven to six cubes. This well 
illustrates what I mean by “affected perception” and an 
optical illusion. 



Our eyes are constantly deceiving us, and they require con¬ 
stant watching and checking, for what they seem to register 
may be very far from what they do register. It is owing to 
this that the reports of different observers show such variation, 
even when the observers are beyond reproach. 


HOW PERCEPTION IS AFFECTED. 

Perception is affected in many ways, and students should 
know the most important of these, so as to be on their guard 
as occasion arises. 

First—Expectation is perhaps the commonest, and, thereby 
one of the principal means whereby perception is affected. You 
see what you expect to see. 


134 


THE MASTER KEY 


You go to a conjuring entertainment. The conjurer tells 
you first of all what he is going to do ; you expect him to do 
it, and therefore you see him do it. Were he not to make his 
directive statements you would see in many instances some¬ 
thing quite different from what you think you see. If you 
were not so careful to watch his right hand (at his bidding) 
you would see him doing the trick with his left hand. 

Experiment when next you go to a conjuring entertain¬ 
ment. Disobey the conjurer’s directions and glances, and you 
will see something the conjurer does not wish you to see, unless 
he is even then too quick for you. Conjurers themselves em¬ 
ploy this method when they wish to discover the secret of a 
brother conjurer’s tricks. If they do not discover the secret 
on a first visit they will pay a second or third. 

Faulty inference is really the rock on which we split in 
expectation. When we know that a certain effect always fol¬ 
lows from a certain cause, if we think we detect the cause we 
expect the result to follow, just as 2-\-2= 4. Therefore, when 
you see a violinist’s bow, in a diminuendo at the end of his solo, 
still slowly travelling over a string, you think it is touching the 
string when it may not. You have always associated the travel¬ 
ling bow as in contact with a string, hence when the violinist 
tricks you with the moving bow you think the sound is still 
dying away beyond reach of your ears. 

It is therefore an easy matter to deceive a person. If you 
lead him to believe you are making certain movements which 
he has always associated with certain acts. If he thinks he 
sees the cause, he is certain he sees the effect. 

Note, too, how a ventriloquist works on your expectation 
He tells you that the voice you hear proceeds from a man on 
the. roof; without this direction from him you could just as 
easily imagine the voice as that of a man in the cellar. You 
hear what you expect to hear. 

Second Interest affects perception. If you receive a letter 
which you have been expecting and in which you are greatly 
interested, grammatical slips in the letter will probably be over- 
looked by you and important details may be only half grasped 
Likewise when your interest in a book is keen, you will prot> 
ably never notice a single mis-spelling or typographical error 
An author often passes error after error in his proofs* his 
interest in the subject-matter is too keen. Months after when 


OBSERVATION 135 

to a great extent his interest has died out, he will notice these 
errors. 

The faults of interest are due to the mental eye which 
sees what it expects to see. Put this to experiment. Tell a 
friend you are going to expose to him a word on a card for 
just one-fifth of a second. Tell him the word represents some¬ 
thing he wears on his head and show him on a card HAT. 
Write it fairly large and distinct. He will expect to see some 
such word as “hat,” and he will therefore read it as HAT 

If you wish to guard against the mental eye, in reading, 
you must train yourself to see the individual letters of a word, 
for, as a rule, we only see words as wholes, hence the mistakes 
we make in passing mis-spellings, transposed letters, etc. 

Interest can inhibit a retinal message entirely. A student 
examining an object through his microscope rarely sees any¬ 
thing with the disengaged eye. His interest and intentness act 
as an arresting influence on the stimuli sent to the eye that is 
disengaged. 

Third—The customary or familiar greatly affects percep¬ 
tion. We are so accustomed to see our friends day after day 
that we do not notice signs of ill-health in them, unless very 
pronounced. We saw, also, how our familiarity with words as 
wholes prevents our seeing mis-spellings, etc.; but often famil¬ 
iarity plays us another trick in reading—we fail to note the 
omission of words like “the,” “and,” “but,” “in,” “with,” etc. 
—our mental eye supplies these. 

This fault is often responsible for serious mistakes in busi¬ 
ness. A business man often thinks he has read in a letter or 
order what he has not read. It is only when his correspondent 
asks him to re-read the letter that he sees the error. Some 
business men actually trade on this weakness; in their adver¬ 
tisements, or on their tickets, words which totally alter the 
meaning of their statements are put in small print, or in a 
place not likely to be noticed, as HAND-SEWN in a boot 
or shoe advertisement will illustrate this. 

Note. —The ear, too, is deceived by this subjective element. 
An old conundrum will illustrate this. “A farmer had twenty 
sick sheep; five of them died; how many had he left?” If you 
ask a person to solve this, taking care to speak the conundrum 
quickly and naturally, you will find that hardly anyone will 
notice the word “sick”; their ears will interpret it as “six” 
and they will answer 21 (26—5), or they will reply “21 alive 


136 


THE MASTER KEY 


and 5 dead ” and so on. It is only a student of phonetics, or 
one familiar with such conundrums, who will be likely to detect 
where the key to the conundrum lies. 

Students should concentrate their attention on a person's 
conversation and see if they can detect any omitted words, or 
words wrongly or carelessly pronounced. Quick speakers sup¬ 
ply the best tests. 

Try, also, the following experiments on your friends: First, 
ask them if they have ever seen “a black pland with yellow 
leaves.” In the majority of cases they will think you are ask¬ 
ing about a black plant. 

Second —Repeat the lines: “There is a green ill far away, 
without a city wall.” Ask your friends if they detect any 
error. Very, very few of them will notice the omission of the 
“h” in “hill” 

Familiarity with a town (as you saw under “How Inat¬ 
tention may be turned into Attention”) tends to lessen atten¬ 
tion with respect to details in the town. Similarly a shop¬ 
keeper will not notice the disorderliness of his shop, or the 
service given by his assistants, through dong familiarity with 
the same, while a stranger will notice these at once. Shop¬ 
keepers should, therefore, get away from their business occa¬ 
sionally and visit shops in other towns. This will often open 
their eyes to many faults in their own shops on their return 
home. 

In crossing out letters (as, for instance, in crossing out O’s) 
we make fewer errors (i. e., pass the O’s) where the subject- 
matter has no interest for us (as in an unfamiliar foreign lan¬ 
guage). Familiarity and interest act as an arresting influence 
—they hurry us along and we omit to cross out many of 
the O’s. 

A quick, intelligent reader is apt to pass errors that a slow 
reader of lesser intelligence will probably notice—where both 
are ignorant of concentrative methods. Teachers of the first 
class are liable to pass errors in the exercises of their pupils 
(especially errors in spelling) which teachers of the second 
class will notice, the reason being that the former’s grasp of 
the words as totals is too rapid. 

Note. —The ear is likewise affected by familiarity; the 
character of sounds may be entirely altered in this way. Thus, 
if a violinist plays for any length of time on a violin which 
at first appeared to him to be harsh in tone, in time he will 


OBSERVATION 


137 


not notice this harshness so much. The illusion will vanish, 
however, as soon as he plays on a better instrument. 

Fourth—Emotion is answerable for defective perception. 
A person under the stress of emotion is never a reliable witness. 
The following will illustrate this: 

Dramatic psychological experiments are very popular with 
many professors of psychology. The professor will be lecturing 
to his students when suddenly the door will open with a loud 
bang, and in will rush two men, followed perhaps by a police¬ 
man. There will be a scuffle, words will be spoken by the par¬ 
ties, a revolver will be fired, and the professor will, perhaps, 
take a part in the scene by ordering the intruders out; and 
then, as suddenly as they appeared, the actors in the scene will 
rush out of the door. 

The professor will then appear greatly moved by the un¬ 
pleasant incident, and will ask a certain number of the students 
to write a report of what has taken place. The whole scene 
will have taken only half a minute, and yet these students who 
have been trained to observe will vary in their statements as 
to the time from a second or two to several minutes; while 
their reports as to the dress of the actors, their speech, actions, 
etc., will likewise show considerable variations. Some of their 
statements will be false, others inaccurate, others pure inven¬ 
tion, while many will perhaps fail to observe at all the leading 
features of the scene. 

Even where the audience has comprised men of the greatest 
attainments in Science the results have been very similar, prov¬ 
ing that the best of us are very fallible and our observations 
not to be trusted when under the influence of emotion. Stu¬ 
dents should therefore guard against giving way to emotion 
if they wish to have perfect control of themselves and their 
faculties. 

Fifth — Breathing. Any obstruction of breathing, not only 
affects perception, but also our general efficiency. Children 
suffering from adenoids are never so good at their studies as 
children whose nasal passages are normal. Many know, when 
suffering from a cold in the head, when the nose is stuffed up, 
how it affects their efficiency; they feel it impossible to give 
things the same attention as usual. 

Sixth—Fatigue , or any exertion affects perception. Most 
all readers know how a book seems to be blurred and the print 
run together when they attempt to read when thoroughly tired. 


138 


THE MASTER KEY 


But even when we are only slightly fatigued our perceptive 
powers are affected. Experiment as follows: Go through 
some form of physical exercise of a slightly tiring nature, or 
run up and down stairs for a few times, or run a hundred yards 
at top speed. Now attempt to read small print; you will not 
see it so clearly as before exerting yourself. 

Seventh —Habit greatly affects perception. When we are 
accustomed to do things in an automatic way we are liable to 
overlook the necessity of varying the same to meet changed 
conditions. The following will serve to illustrate this: An old 
cocoa mat at an office door was replaced one day by a new one. 
The new mat was, of course, slightly higher than the old one, 
which usage had worn down. It was noticed that as each clerk 
entered or left the office the first day or so after the new mat 
had been put down that he stumbled. At each stumble they 
noticed the new mat, and in a day or so the stumbling ceased. 
Unconsciously each clerk had adjusted his leg movement to 
meet the new conditions. 

Eighth —Mist interferes with perception. Objects near at 
hand seen through mist appear to us to be distant. Artists 
make use of this fact in their pictures when they wish to con¬ 
vey the idea of distance. 

Ninth — Time-exposure greatly affects perception. Labora¬ 
tory experiments have shown that where the time-exposure 
(as in showing words, letters, or figures on a board) is reduced 
from one second to a tenth of a second, the number of words, 
letters, or figures seen is reduced considerably. The results are 
more marked in the case of children than in adults. 

HOW PRACTICE QUICKENS PERCEPTION. 

The stock illustration of how practice quickens perception 
is that of Houdin the conjurer and his son. They began with 
one or two dominoes, merely glancing at them and then giving 
the sum of their points. Through long practice they attained 
such skill as to be able to give at a glance the sum of the points 
on twelve dominoes. Next they extended their glancing to 
shop windows, to the contents of rooms as they passed through, 
until they attained such proficiency as to appear miraculous to 
anyone unacquainted with their methods and the long training 
they had undergone. 


OBSERVATION 


139 


Agassiz, the great geologist and zoologist, is another ex¬ 
ample of wonderful proficiency in observation. A student who 
passed through his hands has related the teaching methods of 
Agassiz. . This student, on his arrival in the class, was handed 
by Agassiz a specimen of a fish and told to examine it carefully, 
so as to be able to give a full report of all he had seen. He 
was told not to cut the fish, nor to measure it with any instru¬ 
ment—he was simply to give the results of his observation. In 
ten minutes he was ready with-his report, but Agassiz refused 
to take it. He kept the student examining the fish for three 
days before he expressed himself as in any degree satisfied. 
The student never forgot this lesson in observation, which he 
regarded as laying the foundation of his future attainments in 
zoology. 

Practice simply means repetition, and laboratory experi¬ 
ments prove that repetition quickens perception. This must 
not be confounded with the work of memory as due to residual 
traces; the eye gradually acquires the power of seeing a greater 
number of objects, also details which escape us at a first glance, 
although these details may have been in the focus of vision. 
Experiment as follows: 

Look at some cheese dust with the naked eye; look at it 
closely for a minute^—you can detect no movement; it appears 
dead. Now look at it through a strong magnifying glass and 
it is a world of moving objects. (Note this does not apply to 
all cheese dust.) Next put the glass down and look closely 
again at the dust; after a time you will see a slight movement 
here and there—your perception has been quickened. 

Try similar experiments with various things, such as a leaf, 
a flower, a piece of paper or cloth; you will find you will be 
able to detect things which at first you were unable to see. 

Next take any little object in your home and write a full 
description of it. Go over the description next day and see if 
you can add to it. Continue for a week. Now get a friend 
to examine the object and ask him to write, or give you a 
description of it. Point out little things he has omitted and 
see if he can bring to your notice-anything you have omitted. 

The effect of repeated practice, as above, is to make that 
which is like come to the front; thereby the fatigue of atten¬ 
tion is lessened and we are able to attend to the unlike— i. e., 
new aspects of the object of our attention. You will notice 
this in reading a new author. You will gradually find the 


140 


THE MASTER KEY 


peculiarities of his style (that is, that which he is fond of re¬ 
peating) forced into notice. Pet phrases, unusual words, the 
set of his sentences, will grow familiar, and your attention is 
then set free to notice other details. Experiment with Macau¬ 
lay or Carlyle. 

When attention is turned on the unfamiliar it gradually 
becomes familiar. When first you hear a foreign language it 
sounds a jingle or babel of sounds, but when your ear gets 
accustomed, through increased attention, to the sounds you 
are able to distinguish detached words in a sentence, and finally 
all the sentence. 

Who are the best boxers, the best fencers, the best athletes ? 
—those whose movements are the quickest. Their quickness 
of movement liberates their attention, and they are (especially 
in the case of boxers and fencers) freer to attend to the tactics 
of their opponents. 

Note. —The ear shows the same results in efficiency from 
practice. 

Experiment as follows: Strike the^ote C ( middle C) on 
the piano. Listen to it carefully. Can you detect the overtone ? 
If not, strike it again, and then, holding the note down, strike 
softly the octave higher. You will note how the two C’s seem 
to sound as one, only fuller and richer than before. If you 
continue striking the lower C, listening carefully, you will note 
how the overtone (which is similar in pitch to the upper C — 
the octave) seems to rise up out of the lower C. Practice until 
you can hear the overtone distinctly and easily. 

Reaction time (the interval between a stimulus and the re¬ 
sponse to it) in perception is greatly increased by practice. This 
also applies to reaction time in hearing. Students should note 
the following: 

Clever people, sharp business men, etc., often feel annoyed 
because men or women (especially of the country or lower 
laboring type) do not let them pass quickly when asked to do 
so. The reason is, that in many cases they cannot do so—their 
reaction time is too slow. The time between your asking them 
to allow you to pass and their standing aside does not seem 
slow to them, for it is their natural response; but it seems pain¬ 
fully slow to you, for your reaction time is much quicker. 
Teachers should note this, and make allowance for dull pupils 
who fail to attend as quickly as clever pupils. 


OBSERVATION 


141 


SIGHT ILLUSIONS. 

The subject of Observation would not be complete without 
some reference to Sight Illusions . I shall treat in this section 
some of the most noted of these. 

According to the attention you give an object will be the 
estimate you form of it. Thus it will be large or small, long 
or short, heavy or light, according to your attentive powers. 
What is called the interrupted distance illustrates this. 

x * 

A H H II II H I I I 


The space marked X in A and B appears greater than the 
space Y, for the simple reason that the intersecting lines in A 
and each dot in B catches your attention. Similarly if you 
take two right angles, as in Figs, i and 2, shown below, and 

* r 



shoot out lines from E, as in Fig. 2, the angle D. E. F. will 
look larger than either of the angles in Fig. 1 or the angle 
G. E. F. in Fig. 2. 

Note, also, in the Figures 3, 4 and 5 (shown on next page) 
how the perpendicular line in each figure appears dissimilar; 
the line in Figure 5 appears longer (owing to the offshoots) 
than the line in Figures 3 and 4. 

Vertical distance is easier to grasp than horizontal distance. 
Look at the lines in Figure 6; which appears the longer ? (Do 
not measure.) You will say the vertical. Now turn the page 
so that the horizontal line is vertical; which appears longer 








142 


THE MASTER KEY 


now? Draw a vertical line upon a horizontal line, without 
measuring, so that both appear to be of the same length. You 
will find you have made the vertical line too short. This is 
best seen where the two lines are two or three inches long. 



Ffg S 


Examine carefully the lower and upper halves of the figures 
and letters below. 


88888 XXXXX SSSSS EEEEE 


Now turn them upside down and you will see how marked 
is the difference between the upper and lower halves. Write 
down these figures and letters and you will see how the eye 
persists in the illusion. This is particularly noticeable in the 
8’s and the S’s; you think you are making the two halves 
equal. 

Your judgment of the size of an object is determined by 
your acquaintance with it in everyday life. Thus, when you 
see a clock on a public building you judge its size by the clocks 
with which you are familiar; similarly the figures of men and 
women which you see high up on public buildings, or on 
churches, are interpreted as being of similar size to the men 
and women you meet every day. 




OBSERVATION 


143 


Shadows are responsible for many sight illusions. You 
know that a tall person casts a longer shadow than a short 
person, and you judge all shadows accordingly. Now, when 
the sun is nearly or exactly overhead, it casts quite a different 
shadow to what it does in the early morning or in the evening. 
At these times the shadows will be much greater than during 
the day. Hence if you were to estimate the height of a building 
in the early morning or in the evening your estimate would be 
probably much greater than if made during the day. 

There are many more illusions of sight, but I think the 
above will be sufficient for the student’s purposes. Students 
should keep a note of any illusion which they notice them¬ 
selves. 

HOW TO CULTIVATE OBSERVATION. 

The preceding sections will have supplied the student with 
means as to the cultivation of Observation. I shall repeat one 
or two of these and add others for additional practice. 

The first requisite in cultivating observation is to go about 
with your eyes open; most people certainly do not do so. Be¬ 
gin from today to look at your fellow men and the world around 
you with seeing eyes. Look at things with the definite aim of 
seeing them. Start in your own home and look with the eyes 
of a stranger at the objects which are so familiar to you. 

Begin simply—do not try to be a Sherlock Holmes right 
away. After you have practiced looking at home objects ex¬ 
tend to objects outside. Look at public buildings, vehicles on 
the street or road, and any names or number on them, railway 
trains, engines, cars, trucks, ships, animals, etc. 

Make a special study of men and women you meet in the 
street, and also when traveling. Note their general appearance, 
features, dress, gait, gestures. Try to form an estimate as 
to their occupation or station in life, their habits, moods, etc. 

Try Houdiris methods. Glance at shop-windows in passing 
and see how many articles you can remember. Glance at men 
and women and see what details you can take in at a glance. 
Check results by comparing with the person, if still in sight. 
Glance at boardings where a number of advertisements are 
displayed. Describe to yourself what you have seen and then 
look back and verify results. Glance at anything in passing 
and describe what you have seen. 


144 


THE MASTER KEY 


Note. —In glancing exercises, as above, it is essential to 
get the habit of describing quickly. If you are uncertain about 
anything, such as whether a lady’s dress was pink or blue, do 
not puzzle yourself trying to remember. Leave it and hurry on 
—to stop is fatal. If you delay even a second or so, you will 
have forgotten most of what you have seen. The golden rule 
in glancing is to describe first the things you remember with 
ease and then recall the things of which you are uncertain. 

It is also a good plan before commencing glancing exercises 
to look at objects and describe them while looking at them. 
This gives what may be termed preliminary definiteness. When 
you have made a habit of this, you teach the eyes to function 
quickly, hence glancing exercises are facilitated. 

Walk along the street with the definite aim of seeing how 
many different kinds of articles you can see. 

Read a report of any incident (such as a fire) in two dif¬ 
ferent newspapers, i. e., controlled by different firms. Note the 
points where the two reports agree and where they disagree. 
It is essential that the reports should not have been supplied 
by a news agency, otherwise they will be alike in every detail. 

Co-operation of Friends. If you can get a friend to co¬ 
operate with you, you can try the following exercises in obser¬ 
vation. These exercises will cultivate quickness in perception, 
and also memory for details, location, form, etc. Failing a 
friend, an intelligent child will make a good co-operator: 

First —Take a small article, such as a key, a coin, or a 
brooch, and get your friend in your absence to put this article 
somewhere in the room where it can be seen easily. The article 
must not be hidden or covered in any way—it must be plainly 
visible. As soon as you enter the room your friend begins to 
count in a measured tone, i, 2, 3, and so on. Keep a record 
of the number your friend counts up to before your discover 
the article. 

Second —Spread a number of small articles on a table. Be¬ 
gin with six to ten articles. Each article must be different and 
easily named; for instance, spoon, knife, watch, ring, match¬ 
box, thimble, book, pen, pencil, key. While you are out of the 
room your friend removes one of the articles; you must name 
this article when you come in the room again. 

Third —After you get fairly expert at the above, get your 
friend to arrange all the articles in a straight line, i. e. } in a 
definite order. While you are out of the room he must change 


OBSERVATION 


145 


the order; for instance, where the spoon was when you left 
the room, let him put the pen, and so on. At first he should 
not change more than two of the articles. You are required 
to mention the articles which have been moved and put them 
back in their original order. 

Fourth —Get some one in your home to remove some article 
from your bedroom while you are at business. On your return 
home see if you can tell what article has been removed. Let 
your friend commence with fairly prominent articles, until you 
have advanced in the exercise. 

Fifth —Get your friend to make from six to ten definite 
movements, a list of which he has prepared beforehand. He is 
to make these movements in the order of his list. You must 
write down all you see him do. For instance, (i) with the right 
hand he touches his head, (2) then his watch-chain, and so on. 
Tell him he must try to deceive you by making two movements 
at once, such as touching his ear with one hand and a button 
on his coat with the other. If your friend is smart, your pow¬ 
ers of observation will be tested considerably. (This exercise 
cannot be done by a child co-operator.) 

Every student of this work should make Observation a 
daily study. Every time you go out look about you with the 
definite aim of seeing something. This definiteness of aim will 
itself help you to see better, for it will prepare your eyes to 
see things, just as when you are expecting the clock to strike 
your ears are prepared to hear it strike. 


©If t master JCrg 

CHAPTER XIX. 

LESSON SEVENTEEN. 

INTEREST. 

INTEREST AND ITS MEANING. 

To define Interest is not easy; like love or hate it must 
be experienced before it can be understood. Kant defines it as 
“a cause determining the will,” but perhaps it will be better 
understood as ‘‘a feeling which binds cur attention to an ob¬ 
ject (the writer uses “object” in a wide sense) with the expec¬ 
tation that such feeling will bring pleasure in some form, or 
advantage in some form.” The ultimate aim of Interest, as 
affecting the individual, is therefore satisfaction. When satis¬ 
faction is attained Interest tends to fade or die away; to stim¬ 
ulate it further, we must see ahead new forms of satisfaction. 

Interest may be said to manifest itself in two forms: First, 
Sensory Interest; Second, Motor Interest. The following will 
simplify these terms: 

Suppose you see some delicious fruit in a store window. 
As you look at it you are pleased with its appearance, and you 
think how. good it will taste, and thus gradually your interest 
in the fruit grows. This is Sensory Interest, i. e., the appeal 
the fruit makes to the senses. At a further stage you feel you 
must have some of the fruit, and you act on this feeling and 
go into the store and make a purchase. The feeling which 
prompts you to go into the store is Motor Interest. 

In Sensory Interest the object makes a visual, auditory 
gustatory, olfactory, or tactile appeal. In Motor Interest we 
feel a conation—a striving, or tendency towards the object. 
Motor Interest, therefore, tends to manifest itself in action 
146 


INTEREST 


147 


HOW TO CREATE OR “GROW” INTEREST. 

If an object is uninteresting to you, you can “grow” inter¬ 
est in it by associating it with some interesting fact in your 
experience. 

A man past fifty, who could not read, was interested in 
electricity. He used to get his grandson to read to him any¬ 
thing relating to electricity. One day the boy read something 
which greatly interested the old man. At first he could not 
believe what the boy had read. “Does it really say that in the 
paper ?” he asked. The boy assured him and read the passage 
once more. “Well/’ said the old man, “if it says that about 
electricity, I’m going to learn to read” And he did learn to 
read; his interest was so keen that he persevered with all 
the difficulties of his task, until he could read the papers him¬ 
self. 

Interest does not usually grow so quickly as in the old man’s 
case; the growth, at first, is often imperceptible. Take the 
case of a young man in a large business house. His work is 
uninteresting—how can he grow interest in it ? The best way 
is to see an end to aim at, but even this is not always easy. 
The safest and simplest way is to look at his work from a de¬ 
velopment point of view. 

Thus, suppose a certain section of his work has always taken 
an hour to do, he can set himself to try to reduce this time to 
three-quarters and then to half an hour. As he applies the 
same method to other sections of his work he attracts the at¬ 
tention of those above him. He has been careful also to see to 
the character of his work, that not only has it been done 
quickly, but neater and better in every way. The attention of 
his superiors turns to interest—he is promoted, and as more 
responsibility is put upon him his work gradually increases in 
interest, and as promotion after promotion follows his interest 
strengthens, until in many instances it becomes an absorbing 
passion. 

Another way to create interest in that which lacks interest 
for us is “to make it show new aspects of itself , to prompt new 
questions; in a word to change” “Try to attend steadfastly 
to a dot on the paper, or on the wall. Either your vision be¬ 
comes blurred or your eye wanders away to something else. 
But if you ask yourself questions about the dot—how big it 
is, how far, of what shape, what shade or color, etc., you can 


/ 


148 THE MASTER KEY 

keep your mind on it for a comparatively long time.” The rule, 
therefore, for creating interest in an uninteresting thing is to 
associate it with something in which you already have an in¬ 
terest. 

Students who wish to create interest in any special study, 
as in a science, for instance, should be on the lookout in books, 
magazines and newspapers for anything referring to this 
science. Students who adopt this plan will find their interest 
grow steadily; new points of view will gradually widen the 
field of knowledge; possibilities will be seen hitherto undreamt 
of; that which seemed a useless study will show utility in many 
forms. 

A psychologist was once trying an experiment in observa¬ 
tion with two children whom I will call A and B, and one of 
the objects on the table was a locket belonging to the child B. 
It was noticed that whenever this object was removed the child 
instantly detected its absence. Her interest in its ownership 
was of course the reason. 

Students of this work should have no difficulty in growing 
interest in anything, for they can always look upon it as an 
exercise tending to increase their powers of concentration. 

Note, that the fundamental rule for creating interest in 
anything is to give it repeated attention. According to your 
attention will be your interest and conversely, it may be said, 
according to your interest will be your attention. 

FATIGUE. 

Every psychological student should know something about 
Fatigue and its manifestations, for ignorance of the subject is 
responsible for many foolish and hurtful actions. 

When the body is fatigued the supply of blood to the brain 
is very small, hence attention is almost an impossibility. Even 
the slightest act of attention is wearisome and one is inclined 
to be cross and irritable. 

When the. brain is fatigued it is an act of folly to indulge 
in violent bodily exercise, for this is to still further fatigue the 
brain. Walking is the best exercise, for it is automatic, and 
makes very little demand on the brain. 

Students should never attempt to study after violent exer¬ 
cise; slight exercise before studying is often beneficial, but 
violent exercise is harmful. 


INTEREST 


149 


The student is cautioned as to how he regards the theory 
that the body has reserves of energy. It has been proved experi¬ 
mentally that when the normal energy of a muscle is exhausted 
it is injurious to stimulate it to further action. And not only 
does the further stimulus prove injurious, but the character of 
the extra work resulting from the stimulus is of little account. 
Again, when a muscle is fatigued, the effect of the extra stimu¬ 
lation is much more severe than if the muscle were engaged on 
a heavier task when in its normal state. It pays, therefore, 
to rest the muscle, and take up the task again later. 

It is a common fallacy that change of intellectual work 
rests us; this is true only when our health is good and where 
there is felt a sense of relief and pleasure in the change. If 
the brain as a whole is fatigued, total rest is essential. 

Fatigue is lessened in any sphere by the working of the 
law of habit; that which at first was felt as a strain is lessened 
as systematic exercise is brought to bear upon it. 

Students on the eve of an examination often fatigue them¬ 
selves by thinking too much of the ordeal they have to undergo ; 
psychologists term this “excitability in a motor sphered One 
sees it also in anyone who has to speak, sing, or play on an 
instrument, before an audience. Such perfunctioning, or feel¬ 
ings, should be dismissed at once, and the mind turned into 
other channels. The student, speaker or singer who cultivates 
the “I know I shall do well” attitude will find his task much 
easier to accomplish. 

The best schoolmasters and teachers are those who know 
how to regulate and lessen fatigue of their pupils, by turning 
their attention into new and less exhausting channels. Public 
speakers are adepts at this lessening of fatigue. As soon as 
they see the attention of their audience difficult to hold, they 
introduce a humorous story, or a personal touch, which relieves 
the strained attention of their hearers. 

Students should experiment and take note of the best inter¬ 
vals of repose between their studies, and stick to these intervals. 
The intervals of effective rest vary with different individuals, 
but as a general rule the interval between each subject studied 
should be greater when one is tired, for then it takes longer to 
recuperate our energy. In normal situations long intervals of 
repose are fatal to good and effective work; the brain seems to 
take longer to function after prolonged rests. 

Fatigue and fasting make the senses more acute and the 


150 


THE MASTER KEY 


nervous system more excitable. Sometimes people who fast 
hail this acuteness as a sign of well-being, but in reality it is 
a warning that the organism is, for the time being, not in proper 
order for the prolongation of existence. 

Students should note the effect of fatigue on the memory; 
sometimes the effect is so great that we cannot remember even 
the most familiar things—things which belong to our daily 
activities. Schoolmasters and teachers will have noticed that 
when children are tired they make the most absurd mistakes 
in Composition and in Reading. It seems clear, then, that 
study of any kind should be put aside as soon as we feel tired 
or exhausted. If we persist, it will be found that our time 
has been practically wasted. 

Author’s Note—Students will find a further section on “The Effect 
of Fatigue on Thought-Control” in Chapter XX, Lesson Eighteen. 


Master Krjj 

CHAPTER XX. 

LESSON EIGHTEEN. 

THOUGHT CONTROL. 

WHAT THOUGHT CONTROL CAN DO FOR YOU. 

Control your thoughts and you control your world. 

Mr. Dickson has just finished his breakfast, which he has 
thoroughly enjoyed. He takes up his newspaper for a quiet 
fifteen minutes’ perusal. Suddenly he notes that a client has 
“gone smash.” In consequence the satisfaction brought by his 
good breakfast vanishes, and he goes to business in an unhappy 
frame of mind. 

Robinson has not enjoyed his breakfast; it has not been 
cooked to his satisfaction. He opens his newspaper morosely, 
and suddenly notes that wheat has gone up two points. In 
consequence he forgets his badly prepared breakfast, and goes 
to business in a happy frame of mind. 

A tourist on a long walking tour is delighted with the fine 
weather he is having. The farmers in the districts through 
which he is touring are in despair because of the long drought 
and its effect upon their crops. 

What can we learn from the above cases? We can learn 
this: The world for each of us is what we think it. There is 
a correspondence between the things we see, hear, touch, taste, 
and smell, but we look at them from different standpoints— 
from our standpoint. The world for each of us is our world; 
it is what we think it is. 

Every day millions of men, women and children look out 
each morning on their world. To some it is a glad world, a 
beautiful world, a happy world; to others it is a sorrowful 
world, an ugly world, a miserable world. It is such a world 
because they think it so. 

Now can you alter the character of your world, or must 
151 


152 


THE MASTER KEY 


you always accept and interpret it in the same way? You 
need not, you ought not unless it is the right way; for just 
as your thought makes the world a miserable world to you, 
so can your thought transform it into a happy world for you. 

How is this to be done ? you ask. The reply is, by learning 
to control your thoughts. The fear-thought need not always 
make you afraid; the anger-thought need not always make you 
angry. Control your thoughts, and you control your world. 
It is the object of this work to teach you the secret of Thought- 
Control and Mental Discipline. 

Thought can turn a brave man into a timid man; a strong 
man into a weak man; a cheerful man into a sad man; a 
proud, domineering man into a humble, abject, cringing man. 

Thought can change the character of respiration, can im¬ 
pede or assist digestion, can alter the quantity of the secretions 
of the body, can induce many diseases, and banish many dis¬ 
eases. It can induce nausea, and even death itself. 

Thought can fill us with hope, or plunge us into despair; 
can fill us with inspiration or crush all initiative; can make us 
persevere against any odds, or raise up .difficulties to bar our 
every step. 

Your thoughts call make you or unmake you. Your thoughts 
can do this, nay, are' doing this. Will you not have a say in 
the matter ? Will you not see to it that only good thoughts, 
brave thoughts, inspiring thoughts, hopeful thoughts, cheerful 
thoughts, shall form your world ? 

You can do this. Begin from today to encourage such 
thoughts to dwell with you. Cast out of your world every 
thought that tends to rob you of your peace of mind and your 
hope of success. You can do this, for it is mainly a matter of 
trying. 

YOUR THOUGHT ATMOSPHERE. 

You would not consider a consumptive a wise man if he 
went to live where it was always damp and cold. You would 
feel constrained to tell him to seek a climate where it was al¬ 
ways warm and sunny. 

You must take the same medicine. If you are to make 
any advancement in life you must live in a congenial atmos¬ 
phere. It must be in an atmosphere of thought, faith and 
belief, that will help you to develop, by stimulating all your 
energies, all your faculties. 


THOUGHT-CONTROL 


153 


It may be that you are in a business or line of life for 
which you feel unsuited. Is this a congenial atmosphere ? you 
ask. It is not if you feel it, think it unsuited for you; it can 
be if you will alter the character of your thought-world. 

Many people live an unreal life in such circumstances. 
Whilst at their business they seem bright, cheerful, industrious. 
It is only when the day’s work is over, when the glamor of 
excitement and hurry has passed, that they catch a glimpse of 
their real world. Then the regrets, cares, disappointments, 
come forth from the slumbering background—these people are 
now surrounded by their real atmosphere. 

It is usual in such cases to offer the advice—“Get out of 
your present business; change into a new line of life.” Now 
this is, in the majority of cases, well-nigh impossible if it has 
to be done in a sudden leap. No! the best advice to such a man 
is to get rid of his inner Thought-World, the world of regrets, 
cares and disappointments. Consider—what good do such 
thoughts bring you? None. Then why cherish them; why 
hug them to your breast as a miser hugs his gold ? The author 
shall not offer you the cheap advice: “Be brave; persevere.” 
No, he shall put the matter fair and square to you. 

The message of Thought-Control to you is this: By living 
in this inner atmosphere of regrets, cares and disappointments 
you are not advancing one iota towards the life you seek; you 
are tending to put that life beyond your reach. By changing 
your thought-world you tend to make the life you seek pos¬ 
sible. 

You must cultivate the attitude, “Well, I’m in this business, 
and I’m going to make it the stepping stone to my real career; 
I’m not going to allow it to fill me with despair; I’m going 
to master its secrets, and I’m going to live in hopes of the real 
thing turning up. I’m going to be cheerful, hopeful, persever¬ 
ing. I’m going to win in spite of all odds.” 

When a man gets into an atmosphere like this he feels it to 
be congenial. Very often, too, such an attitude results in the 
man feeling his interest in his present business grow to such an 
extent that it ceases to be distasteful. New points of view 
reveal possibilities in the business he never thought to exist. 
He sees vistas of further possibilities until the life he hankered 
for sinks further and further into the background. He is at 
home; he has found himself—his thought-world is congenial. 


154 


THE MASTER KEY 


MENTAL ATTITUDE. 

If you were to ask a friend: "What do twice two and a 
half make?” he would probably hesitate before replying. If 
you were to add to your query: "Now be careful how you 
reply,” his hesitancy would be still more pronounced. 

Queries stated in the above manner, and all kinds of conun¬ 
drums and catches, illustrate that we approach a subject with 
a certain mental attitude. Tell a man a thing is difficult and 
you make it difficult for him; tell him it is easy and you make 
it easier for him. Much, of course, depends upon your man¬ 
ner, as shown above, in making your statements. 

In approaching any new study, or on undertaking any new 
task, it is well to understand your mental attitude beforehand. 
If you think the study or undertaking difficult you will cer¬ 
tainly make it more difficult of attainment; for when we think 
anything difficult we put a bar on our power that greatly hin¬ 
ders progress. 

Cases are on record where new systems of working have 
been introduced into offices, systems with a certain amount of 
complexity, and the clerks have made slow progress with them, 
simply because they offered something strange, something dif¬ 
ficult. Weeks have elapsed before the staff thoroughly grasped 
the system; and instances are related where members of the 
staff have become ill from worry in their efforts to grapple 
with the new conditions. 

Now note this. Where it has been necessary to engage 
temporary clerks, it has been noticed that they have mastered 
the system in a much shorter time than the permanent clerks. 
Why is this? Simply because the temporary clerks approached 
the work with a different mental attitude. They knew nothing 
of the relational difficulty between the old and the new system; 
they saw the work had to be done in a certain way and they 
quickly mastered this way. 

< A friend of the author, a professor of music, was very 
strict with regard to his pupils' mental attitude. He would 
never allow a pupil to say a solo or study was difficult. He 
would make the pupil point out the difficult passage and he 
would carefully analyze it, note by note, until he made the 
pupil play it. He would tell the pupil not to worry because 
he could not play the passage up to time—"that will come with 
practice,” he would say; and he said it in such a confident 


THOUGHT-CONTROL 


155 


tone that his pupil believed him and was inspired to practice, 
until success crowned his efforts. 

Teachers have often noticed that when a number of their 
pupils have failed to answer a question (verbal) the power of 
the other scholars to reply has been slight. They look on the 
question as a sort of conundrum which it is hopeless to answer, 
and they therefore give up the attempt. 

Two students will enter an examination room. The one 
will rapidly glance at his paper and put it down disgusted—it 
is difficult. The other will read each question carefully and 
calmly, and will finally conclude the paper possible. Which 
student is likely to pass? 

Every student of Thought-Control and Mental Discipline 
will realize that it is important while recognizing the difficulty 
of a subject to put this thought out of the mind at once. Re¬ 
fuse to acknowledge its difficulty and you will make the 
subject easier for you to grasp. 

The fact is very few exert anything like the power or 
ability they possess. They are like the traveler who suddenly 
finds a high wall closing his path. U I can never get over 
that; I shall have to go back/’ lie says. As he turns to retrace 
his steps he sees a bull or a wild animal coming tearing along 
towards him. He alters his tone now. “I must get over that 
wall,” he says. He makes a desperate attempt and succeeds 
in getting over the wall. 

If you wish to succeed in anything remember that no effort 
is ever lost. Every act, every attempt, is registered in the 
neural paths of the brain, and each successive act or attempt 
will deepen and broaden these paths, giving greater facility 
each time. You may not be able to see this for a time any 
more than a musician can tell the finer gradations of tone which 
no human ear can detect, but if you persevere you will find 
that facility will come. 

THE PART PLAYED BY IMAGINATION. 

A butcher, while hanging up a heavy piece of meat, slipped, 
and the hook pierced his arm. He was in terrible agony and 
could barely suffer himself to be touched. Yet when the arm 
was examined it was found uninjured, the hook having only 
pierced his coat sleeve. Such is the power of Imagination- 
such is the power of Thought. 


156 


THE MASTER KEY 


Every student of Thought-Control should understand the 
part played by Imagination.* Once he recognizes this lie will 
be on his guard, and will test his experiences in the light of 
this knowledge. 

Cases are on record where men present at the exhumation 
of a body have become seriously ill as soon as the coffin was 
exposed—they had felt the odor of decomposition. Yet when 
the coffin has been opened it has been found empty, or perhaps 
filled with stones, soil, etc. 

Men have been bitten by dogs, which everyone declared 
to be mad, and have afterwards died, with all the symptoms 
of hydrophobia. Yet afterwards when the dogs have been 
examined they have been found free from any trace of rabies. 

The writer need not multiply examples; you will doubtless 
bring to memory many such cases yourself. You will remem¬ 
ber how you have awakened in the middle of the night; your 
bedroom door has been left ajar, and now you see it open 
gradually until your hair stands on end with fright. 

Now in such cases, if you will only remember that imagina¬ 
tion tricks all of us, you will at once assume a critical attitude. 
Has the door really opened further? You watch closely, and 
as the critical attitude grows your fears grow less, and finally 
you get up and examine the door, to find that it has not altered 
its position one inch. 

The following illustrates the critical attitude. One night 
a young lady was awakened by a mysterious tapping at her bed¬ 
room window. She looked in the dim light towards the 
window and distinctly saw outlined a ladder placed against 
the stonework at the top of the window. Instantly she thought 
of burglars; she could hear them with their instruments at¬ 
tempting to raise the window. A minute or two elapsed; no 
burglar appeared, and then she adopted the critical attitude. 

The result was this. The ladder was the tapes of the 
Venetian blind which had been left partly open. The tapping 
was a creeper growing on the outside of the house, which the 
wind every now and again dashed against the window. 

Now if you will remember in all such cases to adopt a 
critical attitude, you will find that your fears will grow less, 


*Students should also give close attention to Lesson Thirty-one, “Con¬ 
centration Applied To Health And Disease,” “The Psychology of Faith and 
Fear,” also Lesson Thirty-two, “Concentration Applied To Fear And 
Disease.’ 



THOUGHT-CONTROL 157 

and then you will control your thoughts instead of being con¬ 
trolled by them. 

CONFUSION OF THOUGHT. 

A young man bought two eggs with the intention of giv¬ 
ing them to his landlady to boil for his supper. Arrived at 
his lodgings he threw the bag containing the eggs on the 
table, with disastrous results to the eggs. 

You have here an illustration of thought-confusion through 
two thoughts being uppermost in consciousness. The young 
man intended to take the eggs out of the bag, and then throw 
the bag away. The throwing was the stronger idea (or im¬ 
pulse) and the eggs suffered in consequence. 

Common illustrations of the same confusion of thought 
are: First, that of looking at your watch and yet not being able 
to give the time; Second, the man who puts his watch in the 
pan and holds the egg in his hand; Third, asking a question and 
not knowing what you have asked; Fourth, locking a door and 
not knowing afterwards whether you have really locked it. 

Studious people, business people—anyone who thinks deep¬ 
ly, is liable to make mistakes like the above. This tendency 
can be cured, to a great extent, by cultivating awareness when 
doing anything. To this end you must pay attention to all your 
acts; you must have a definite aim and carry it out quickly and 
quietly. You must have orderly habits, and, as far as possible, 
set times for doing things. 

Nothing is so beneficial, however, for avoiding confusion 
of thought of the above type as learning to do all your actions 
quickly and quietly. Dress quickly, walk quickly, read quick¬ 
ly, think quickly; get through your business quickly. You will 
find such practice lead to great clearness of thinking and pre¬ 
cision in all you do. 

THE EFFECT OF FATIGUE ON THOUGHT-CONTROL. 

When you are tired, either by mental or by physical work, 
you will find it difficult to control your thoughts. It is when 
you are tired that you often “speak without thinking ” Note, 
for instance, how cross a child becomes after a tiring walk, 
and how it will speak to you in a manner bordering on rude¬ 
ness and impertinence. 

Just as you should never work a muscle to the point of 


158 


THE MASTER KEY 


exhaustion, so should you never study to the point of ex¬ 
haustion. If you do you will note how your thoughts will 
all be poisoned by the toxic element in your blood induced by 
the fatigue. You will be inclined to vote the study a bore; 
you will wonder why you took it up; you will think a mastery 
of it impossible. 

All mental and physical work pursued to the point of fatigue 
interferes with your thought-control. You must see to it that 
you never study for long periods unless you have trained your¬ 
self to study by carefully graduated periods, for here the law 
of habit tells with good effect. When you form habits of 
study within your strength you diminish the tendency to fatigue, 
and consequently you can have perfect control over your 
thoughts. Where your interest in a study is keen, and the 
habit of study is a gradual growth, you can study for a long 
time without any symptoms of fatigue. 

Students are warned, when doing mental work which is 
strange to them (for instance, a new study), to approach it 
very gradually. If you can spare an hour to the study, divide 
it or quarter it rather than give the whole hour to it right 
away, for nothing is more exhausting than mental work to 
which we are unaccustomed. The brain is rapidly tired and 
thought-control is well-nigh impossible. 

EMOTIONAL AND SENSATIONAL FACTORS THAT 
HINDER THOUGHT-CONTROL. 

It is characteristic of Emotions and Sensations to extend 
beyond the particular part of the brain affected by them, to 
other parts. It is owing to this fact that the Emotional and 
Sensational IVovlds have such an important bearing on 
Thought-Control. In this part I shall, therefore, touch 
on several factors related to the Emotional and Sensational 
Worlds that hinder Thought-Control. 

I shall first deal with Fear , for it is by far the most im¬ 
portant. I shall then deal with Worry, Excitement, Expecta¬ 
tion, Self-Consciousness, Accidents—Mistakes—Errors and 
Adverse Criticism. 

FEAR. 

Fear tends to suppress all mental activity other than that 
which the exciting object calls forth. In every emotion the 


THOUGHT-CONTROL 


159 


blood rushes to the head; this is very pronounced when Fear 
is aroused. The heart works at treble pressure, the breathing 
becomes labored, the throat becomes dry. The voice some¬ 
times finds utterance in cries, shrieks, or screams; at other 
times speech or utterance of any kind is impossible. The body 
under the influence of Fear trembles, shudders and sometimes 
is incapable of movement. The eyes see strange sights— 
they see what the imagination bids them see. 

It will be apparent to you from the above that Fear must 
color our thoughts enormously. How, then, can we control 
Fear, and so control the thoughts which it arouses? 

The first thing to be done is to control the feelings to which 
Fear gives rise. Now all feelings, whether pleasurable or 
painful, tend to increase in intensity when we attend to them. 
Doctors know this—many of the medicines they give us are 
simply means to withdraw our attention from the affected 
part to some other part, so that nature may be left undis¬ 
turbed to deal with the seat of the disease. 

To control your feelings, then, you must neglect them, that 
is, give them little attention. You must think of anything 
but fear-thoughts. In other words, you must cultivate “in¬ 
hibition by substitution ” This is the name given by the 
author to what he understands when we control one thought 
by its opposite or contrary thought.* 

But how must we proceed to control Fearf when the excit¬ 
ing object is not a mere idea, but is actually present before us? 
It is evident that something else is necessary beyond merely 
controlling our feelings. 

The first thing to do is to arouse the instinct of Self- 
Assertion. When this instinct is aroused it induces you to 
act. You must also think of brave deeds or bravery in any 
form; you must refuse to listen to fear-thoughts. 

Every student of Thought-Control should recognize that 
Fear is useless; it is simply a drag upon energy, and if it is 
encouraged it is bound to make us weaklings. 

In my youthful days I used to wonder how I should get 
through, on the morrow, the work of a busy day. On one 
memorable day the thought came to me —“You have always 

*See Chapter XXII. Lesson Twenty, Habit, also Chapter XXIII. 
Lesson Twenty-one, Will Culture—Mind Training. 

fStudents should also give close attention to Lesson Thirty-one, “The 
Psychology of Faith and Doubt,” also Lesson Thirty-two, “Concentration 
Applied To Fear And Disease.” 



160 


THE MASTER KEY 


got through so far; the chances are that you will get through 
again.” Since that memorable day the morrow lost its terrors 
for me. 

I ask you to put on paper the things that have worried you 
and are, perhaps, still worrying you; and then put alongside 
of the items the number of times the worrying thing has come 
to pass. Said an old man, who was dying, to his son: “My 
son, I have worried all my life, and nine-tenths of the things 
I worried about never came to pass.” It is the same with 
most people; the mass of the things they worry about never 
come to anything. 

Next time you are inclined to worry about anything look 
at it in this light. It is long odds against the thing you worry 
about coming to pass; take a sporting chance and do not worry. 
If the worrying thing were a racehorse you would get tired of 
betting upon its chance for you would lose too much money. 
It wins a very small proportion of the millions of races it 
enters, therefore, once more remember, the odds are long 
against the worrying thing coming to pass, so do not worry. 

You will say, perhaps: Oh! yes, the above is all right in 
minor cases, but what about the crises of life? Well, even 
then, what good does worry do for you ? Remember worry 
is a species of mental inflammation; it spreads over all the 
brain until it paralyzes initiative and effort. Now if a crisis 
is in front of you, is this the state of mind that will help 
you to grapple with it? 

If you are to deal successfully with a crisis you must con¬ 
trol the worry mood. Now there is only one way in which 
to do this, and that is to seek a change of thought. Refuse 
to brood over the worrying thing. You will not be able to 
prevent it coming into consciousness, but you can prevent it 
forming trains of thought. If you have practiced faithfully 
the exercises given in this work you will know that this is pos¬ 
sible. I strongly advise anyone who is troubled by worry to 
practice daily the three rules given under “How to Cultivate 
Self-Reliance,” in Chapter XXIV, Lesson Twenty-two, and 
Chapter XXIII, Lesson Twenty-one, “Will Culture—Mind 
Training. Such practice will give you the fighting spirit—the 
frame of mind to which worry must succumb. 


THOUGHT-CONTROL 


161 


EXCITEMENT. 

Excitement is a valuable stimulus; it is also a great 
deterrent. A speaker who feels the stimulus of excitement 
arouses the emotions and passions of his audience. Let him 
lose control over his excitement and he becomes incoherent 
and extravagant, and his audience has nothing but contempt 
for him. 

A pugilist, under the spell of excitement, hits his hardest 
blows; so does a cricketer, etc. But let the pugilist or cricketer 
lose control over his excitement and forthwith he strikes at 
random and is speedily routed. 

Every student of Thought-Control and Mental Discipline 
should recognize the good points of excitement, and should 
guard against the bad points. He should learn how to control 
his excitement, and so make it serve his interests instead of 
destroying them. 

To cultivate control over excitement you must resolutely 
cultivate the habit of keeping the mouth tight-shut as given 
in Lesson Twelve, Exercise No. 23 . 

The muscles which close the teeth are considered the most 
excitable in the body. In fevers, chills and shivering epileptic 
fits these muscles are the first to be affected; and when death 
occurs these muscles are the first to show rigidity. 

Just notice the next time you are under the spell of excite¬ 
ment, or note it in another person, and you will see how these 
muscles, if they do not set the teeth chattering, at least cause 
the lips to tremble and the cheeks to quiver. This is very 
marked where the excitement turns to, or is mixed with, fear. 

Note, too, how your speech is affected in strong excite¬ 
ment. You stammer and stumble along; your sentences are 
broken, and there is no continuity of thought. Cultivate the 
habit of shutting your mouth tight and you will find it will 
help you control your excitement; and as you control your 
excitement, so are you enabled to control your thoughts. 

A further aid to control over excitement is attention to 
your breathing. When you are excited your breathing is rapid 
and consequently short. This affects thought; therefore, when 
you feel excited practice taking deep breaths until you feel the 
excitement under control. You can, of course, practice the 
tight-shut mouth at the same time, thus making the cure more 
rapid. 


162 


THE MASTER KEY 


EXPECTATION. 

Y°u are expecting someone to call in ten minutes’ time; 
it is an important call, and you take up a book or a newspaper 
to put in the time until your visitor appears. But you cannot 
read; you feel strung up—you are not yourself. This will 
show you the important bearing Expectation has on Thought- 
Control. If you can control your thoughts you greatly lessen 
the strain which always attends on Expectation. 

The reason you feel strain in Expectation is because the 
expectation of something coming, something happening, sets the 
muscles in a certain direction; in psychological language, they 
are prepared for the stimulus. 

It is owing to this fact that expectation* of pain always 
increases the pain. Every medical man knows that the patient 
who gives him most trouble after an operation is the one who 
prepares himself for the operation by casting his muscles in a 
rigid^ mould. The reaction is in proportion to the rigidity— 
the “bearing up.” Likewise when we expect a fall and pre¬ 
pare for it (if time permits) by contracting our muscles, we 
make our injuries, and the shock to the system, more severe. 
A drunken man taking the same fall will not hurt himself 
nearly so much, since his muscles are relaxed. 

Now remember, Expectation is the thought of something 
about to. happen, or something coming. To control your 
thoughts is to control the strain of Expectation; and to con¬ 
trol your thoughts you must turn them aside from the thought 
of what is coming, or about to happen. You will find you can 
get wonderful results by a little practice. Next time you are 
waiting for a friend, practice turning your mind off the 
thought. Exercise No. i will greatly help you to control 
Expectation. 

SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS. 

A young man had to perform a violin solo at an important 
local concert. The thought of the audience he had to face 
made him terribly nervous and as he went on the platform 
he felt like a criminal about to be hung. While the accom¬ 
panist was playing the introduction to his solo, the young man 


Fear^ Amf^isea^—Ex^ecWn^cy M And !, Attention.” 0nCentrat * 0n AppHed T ° 





THOUGHT-CONTROL 


163 


who held a position of trust in a business house, suddenly 
remembered an important letter to which he should have at¬ 
tended before leaving business. As he thought in a flash of 
the consequences of his neglect, all his nervousness vanished, 
and he played with a reckless abandon which brought down 
the house. 

This incident illustrates the marvelous power of a change 
of thought. It shows one that the ability to turn one's thought 
into another channel must be a valuable acquirement. It is 
pre-eminently the acquirement to aim at, for everyone who is 
self-conscious. It is simply a matter of training and practice 
in putting resolutely to one side thoughts we do not wish to 
dwell upon. Exercise No. i shows you how to proceed, but 
with this variation: you must put thought after thought to 
one side until you come to one on which you can build a 
pleasant and interesting train of thought. 

If you are self-conscious in the presence of strangers, or 
in fact anyone, adopt the following plan. Immediately the 
person is before you, greet him in a frank, genial manner, as 
far as the nature of the occasion permits. While he is talking 
take note of his language; that is, how he expresses himself 
—the nature of his vocabulary, his intonation, pronunciation, 
etc. Note, too, his gestures, mannerisms, dress, etc. All this 
will tend to take your mind off yourself. 

Next, as you find you are succeeding in gaining command 
over your feelings, determine that you will influence him. 
Control your facial muscles; see that your body is in perfect 
poise. Listen carefully to all he says and let him see that you 
are attentive. While he is speaking, be sure that your mouth 
is shut close, yet not so as to interfere with a pleasing facial 
expression. When you have to speak, look him steadily in the 
face, fixing your gaze upon an imaginary dot on his nose, in a 
direct line with his eyes. This gives the effect of a steady 
gaze and yet you avoid looking at his eyes. 

Blushing, that bug-bear of most of those who have not 
studied Mental Discipline, but especially of the self-conscious 
person, can be controlled to a great extent by following the 
advice given above. When you are inclined to blush on being 
introduced to a person, remember that the vital point is to 
think of him (or her) not of yourself, or what he may be 
thinking of you. If you will practice in this way you will 
soon find that you can greatly control the habit of blushing. 


164 


THE MASTER KEY 


ACCIDENTS, MISTAKES, ERRORS. 

You are invited to a dinner and during the meal you have 
the misfortune to upset a glass of wine or water over a spot¬ 
less cloth. Instantly you are overwhelmed with confusion or 
shame, and in spite of your host’s cheery “It does not matter,” 
the unpleasant incident troubles you for many a day. 

A business man, in sending out his accounts, sends, in 
error, a sharp letter to one of his best customers. No matter 
how he manages to smooth over the mistake it rankles in his 
mind for weeks and weeks, whenever he thinks of or meets 
this customer. 

A clerk in a business house makes an error in a contract 
which costs his firm hundreds of dollars. The firm, knowing 
him to be a capable man, treats him with great leniency. In 
spite of this the memory of his error causes him annoyance for 
years afterwards. 

How are we to control the thoughts which accidents, mis¬ 
takes and errors like the above tend to raise? There is only 
one thing to do, and that is never to brood over them.* You 
cannot help these thoughts arising, but you can help dwelling 
upon them. If you will resolutely refuse to think of them the 
law of habit will give you the victory over them. 

You must adopt the same plan in dealing with memories 
of the past. Thus you suddenly detect the odor of a fine 
cigar or a certain perfume when out walking. Instantly it 
recalls an unpleasant incident in your past life in which such 
odor or perfume played a part. Now you must not dwell 
on this memory, for if you do it will grow in intensity until 
it has you in its grip. You must follow the advice given 
above, viz., refuse to think of the incident by instantly turning 
your mind to some other subject. 

ADVERSE CRITICISM. 

There are few men who can control their thoughts under 
adverse criticism, yet it must be done if a man is to succeed. 
Some people take it so badly that they make themselves ill; 
they lose heart and abandon their work for a considerable 


*See Spontaneous Revival, in Section on The Nature of Recall Chap¬ 
ter XXV., Lesson XXIII. 



THOUGHT-CONTROL 


165 


period; indeed, in some cases, they abandon it altogether. Some 
commit suicide. 

What course should be adopted towards adverse criticism? 
The best plan, undoubtedly, is to turn critic yourself. Take 
the adverse criticism and criticise it carefully and calmly, for 
it may have some good points; it may be able to teach you 
something. 

It is not advisable, however, to undertake the critical work 
when you are smarting from the blow dealt by the adverse 
criticism. Get away from your work for a day or so; forget 
it by reading an interesting book, or watching a fine play, or 
going off for a trip somewhere. When you feel the pain les¬ 
sened after this interval (which you are almost bound to do) 
go carefully over the criticism and note where it is just and 
where it is unjust. 

Ole Bull, the great violinist, in his early career, saw a 
severe criticism of his playing. After careful consideration, 
he went to the publisher of the paper, and asked who had 
written the criticism. “If you want the responsible person,” 
said the publisher, “I am he.” “No!” replied Ole Bull, “I have 
not come to call the writer to account, but to thank him. He 
has shown me my faults, and he must now show me how to 
rid myself of them.” 

Here we have the spirit of the true artist, the spirit that 
should animate all under the fire of criticism. If the criticism 
is just, we are foolish to ignore its lesson; if it be unjust, we 
are foolish to let it disturb us. 


Stiff master 2Cfg 

CHAPTER XXI. 

LESSON NINETEEN. 

THOUGHT CONTROL. 

THOUGHT-CONTROL IN PUBLIC. 

W-e shall look at Thought-Control in Public from two 
aspects. First, from the point of view of the audience; Second, 
from the performer s point of view. Under the First, we shall 
deal with Thought-Control when a member of a crowd—a 
crowd in this sense means a collective body of men or women, 
engaged in something in common. Under Second, we shall 
deal with Thought-Control in Speaking in Public; and 
Ihought-Control in Playing or Singing in Public, i. e., Public 
Performances. 


THOUGHT-CONTROL IN A CROWD. 

It is essential that you should recognize the following fact 
A crowd is a collective mind, and when you are a member of a 
crowd you are a different man. It matters not whether you 
. e ,? .j> 00< ? b'rth or well educated; you many times sink your 
individuality for the time being, and act like a different person 
The intelligence of a crowd is never great—dramatic psy¬ 
chological experiments go to prove this—for crowds are largely 
dominated by the instincts and emotions. Attend a congress 
of any body of men or women and you will note this fact at 
once. One can often note this in a careful reading of the 
newspaper reports of such gatherings. You will find intelli¬ 
gent men and women acting and speaking quite different from 
your conception of them. The reason of this is that crowds 
are contagious and their speech and acts are contagious- for 
the time being every man and woman is a different individual 
166 


THOUGHT-CONTROL IN PUBLIC 


167 


To guard against the influence of a crowd it is only neces¬ 
sary to be aware of its influence. Never lose sight of the fact 
of this influence; remind yourself of it during the meeting, and 
determine that the meeting shall not influence you. Much 
can be done in this way, as a few trials will convince you. 

THOUGHT-CONTROL IN PUBLIC SPEAKING. 

Success in speaking in public* demands more than a thor¬ 
ough grasp of the subject on which you are to speak. You must 
understand the art of controlling an audience, and this in¬ 
volves an understanding of the nature of Fatigue, both in its 
application to yourself and to your audience. 

The first thing you should note is this. An audience, 
generally speaking, is sympathetic towards you; it would much 
rather you did well than badly. The second point to note is, 
an audience wants to be interested—secure its interest and 
you have its attention. Note, too, that the commencement of 
your speech is where you must lay the foundation stone of 
interest; an interesting start and your audience is sympatheti¬ 
cally aroused, and then the deadly fear which at first possessed 
you will gradually vanish as you feel you have your audience 
in your grip. 

Now if your speech or lecture is to be conducted with the 
minimum of fatigue to you and your audience, you must note 
the following: 

It should be understood that where a speaker or lecturer 
is concerned with elegance of language, the flow of his 
sentences, etc.; or where he goes greatly into detail and quotes 
numerous authorities and dates, he (and his audience likewise) 
is sure to suffer from fatigue. If, on the other hand, he 
adopts an easy style of delivery, approaching a conversational 
style, neither he nor his audience is nearly so liable to suffer 
from fatigue. 

Much, too, depends on manner; a genial, happy, smiling 
speaker, generally gains the good-will of his audience at once. 
Further, the genial, happy attitude of the audience reacts upon 
the speaker—he gains confidence in himself and his sense of 
strain vanishes. 


*See Lessons Twenty-six, Twenty-seven, and Twenty-eight —as these 
Lessons deal exclusively with “The Art of Public Speaking.” 



168 


THE MASTER KEY 


THOUGHT-CONTROL IN PUBLIC PERFORMANCES. 

Everyone who has played, or sung a solo in public, knows 
that the most trying part is not while you are playing or sing¬ 
ing, but the thinking beforehand of the ordeal you will have 
to undergo. It is this prefunctioning that causes all your trouble. 
To gain control over this you should follow the advice given 
throughout this work, and you will find it greatly minimizes 
your discomfort. 

When you are actually before your audience you can great¬ 
ly control your nervousness by concentrating upon the accom¬ 
paniment. And in this connection I strongly advise you, 
whenever possible, to have your own accompanist. Get the 
idea in your mind that you and your accompanist are engaged 
in interpreting the composer’s ideas. Feel that you are both 
doing all you can to express the composer’s ideas. Once you 
thoroughly feel this you will soon forget your nervousness, and 
your audience will enjoy your performance. 

When you have no accompanist, feel that you are respon¬ 
sible to your audience for the view they shall take away 
with them of the composer’s intention. To this end you must 
not be hampered by technical difficulties; you must be able to 
give your whole mind to expressing what the composer felt 
when he wrote the piece you are playing. As you gain, by 
practice, the power to concentrate upon your playing, you will 
soon find your nervousness disappear. 


THOUGHT-CONTROL IN STUDY. 

When you feel confused and distressed in grappling with 
a problem you should leave it for a few minutes and take your 
mind off it entirely. Sit still, or lie down, and concentrate 
upon the words “Rest’ and “Peace.” 

Say to yourself: “I am at rest and filled with a sense of 
peace, I have left the world of problems behind in the sure 
hope that when I am thoroughly rested I shall have no trouble 
with them.” 

Cultivate daily this spirit of confidence that rest will restore 
your powers and enable you to deal successfully with any 
difficulty you may meet with in your studies. This confidence 
will grow if you practice it consistently. 


THOUGHT-CONTROL IN PUBLIC 


169 


In this country people do not sufficiently recognize the value 
of intervals of rest; they go on until they are thoroughly fired, 
and perhaps disgusted, with what they have done as regards 
their studies. 

Among intelligent Hindoos great stress is laid on the value 
of rest. They know that it restores the excitability of nerve 
and muscle which fatigue has diminished. They devote a part 
of every day to gaining control over the breath, relaxing their 
muscles, and quiet meditation. They claim that such practice 
gives them “physical repose, a calm facial expression and 
imperturbability of manner/* 

The great point to guard against in study is to refuse to 
let it induce the worry-mood. Look at it calmly and quietly 
and cultivate the attitude—“I know I shall master this problem, 
or this difficulty/’ 

Remember that emotional states, of which intellectual worry 
is a type, spread beyond their own area, hence if you can pre¬ 
vent this spreading, by controlling the mental distress, you limit 
the disturbing elements which are interfering with your prog¬ 
ress towards a solution of your difficulties. 

Remember, also, that worry in intellectual matters inhibits 
the ideas of which you are in search. You will have noted 
this when worrying over a name which you are unable to 
recall. A few hours afterwards, when you are sitting quietly 
or perhaps out for a quiet walk, the name will suddenly flash 
into consciousness. Your brain has rested in the interval, and 
the nerve-paths which worry had inhibited have now free play 
and they send up the name you wanted into consciousness. 

THOUGHT-CONTROL IN BUSINESS. 

There are two points in relation to Thought-Control to 
which the writer wishes to direct the attention of business men 
and women. First, annoyance from correspondence; Second, 
annoyance from employes. No business man or woman, espe¬ 
cially one at the head of a large business, can afford to suffer 
daily vexation from these two sources. You must obtain con¬ 
trol over them if you are to have that calm, cool outlook which 
modern business conditions demand. 

When a business man receives a letter which annoys him 
greatly he usually gets into a rage, and perhaps vents it upon 
his employes. He reads and re-reads the letter until he loses 


170 


THE MASTER KEY 


all control over himself and very often he sends a stinging or 
sharp reply to the letter— a reply which maturer and later judg¬ 
ment will see to he injudicious, and prejudicial to his interests. 

What is the best and wisest course in dealing with such a 
letter ? It is certainly this—put it to one side instantly as soon 
as you have read it. It is the mental shock which such a letter 
gives that one has to control, and this is best controlled by 
attending to other matters. Get away from the letter and 
come back to it later according to the time you are limited in 
which to send a reply. You may not need to reply until the 
evening post, or it may have to go by the midday post—in 
either event, observe an interval before reading the letter again. 

If you will follow the above plan you will find that the let¬ 
ter will not affect you nearly so much on a second and later 
reading. . It is probable, too, that you will see quite a different 
meaning in the letter on a second reading than you did in the 
first reading. Remember, you cannot deal critically with any 
matter requiring thought and cool judgment when laboring 
under the stress of emotion. 

You must adopt the same attitude when dealing with 
annoyances caused by your employes. Some employers are 
foolish enough to storm at their employes right away. Such 
treatment is often most unjust; it is always foolish, for it robs 
you of a great part of your employes’ working power for the 
remainder of that day, and possibly for days afterwards. 

With regard to annoyances of this kind you must not at¬ 
tempt to deal with them right away unless you are sure of 
yourself. It is better to leave the matter for a time until 
your anger has subsided; you can then deal with the annoy¬ 
ance calmly and critically without loss of self-respect or loss 
of the respect of your employes. 

Business men and women are advised to read carefully the 
following section— Thought-Control in General —for many of 
the annoyances of business can be greatly controlled by follow¬ 
ing the advice given therein. 

THOUGHT-CONTROL IN GENERAL. 

You run to catch a train, only to find that when you reach 
the railway station your train has gone. You set off for the 
theater and on arrival find a notice up— “House Full” You 
have overslept, have to rush your breakfast, and arrive at busi- 


THOUGHT-CONTROL IN PUBLIC 


171 


ness five to ten minutes late, to receive a severe reprimand 
from your superiors. You arrange to meet a friend; he fails 
to keep the appointment. 

I need not extend the list; you can supply any number 
yourself, for these are the little annoyances of life to which 
all are subject. In all such cases you suffer disappointment 
or are angry; you blame yourself or some other person for 
causing you annoyance. 

How shall you control your feelings in cases like the above ? 
You should understand the matter thoroughly and this will give 
you the key. In all such cases your trouble is caused by con¬ 
tinuing to think of the annoying thing. You turn it over and 
over in your mind until your mind is thoroughly inflamed. 

Now look back on any of the occasions a week or so after. 
How do you feel with regard to them; do they cause you the 
same pain? When you think of them is their sting as sharp 
as at first? No; you feel you can look at them quietly, with¬ 
out practically any discomfort. This proves to you that in 
all the above cases you have been in the grip of an emotion 
which you were unable to control. 

Now an emotional state cannot be checked if it gets beyond 
a certain point. It must be dealt with the instant it makes its 
appearance or it spreads with alarming rapidity until it em¬ 
braces the whole of the brain area. Once this happens you 
cannot check the emotion, for all emotional states, as I have 
said before, tend to persist long after their birth. 

Under all cases of annoyance, therefore, you must practice 
turning your mind instantly off the annoyance. The thing is 
done—you cannot recall it. If you recall cases that have 
annoyed you, you will probably say: “How foolish I was to 
let that annoy me.” Very well, then, recognize that folly now, 
and apply it to future cases of annoyance. Much, very much, 
can be done in this way. Look upon annoyances as training 
ground in control and you will find half of their power to 
annoy you gone. Practice will reveal to you that you can 
gain enormous control over emotional states. 

The author advises every student to be like a certain com¬ 
mercial traveler he knows. When he loses an order he does 
not brood or worry over it. He will say to himself: “Worry 
is no good; I’m off after new business.” You see the point? 
You have been disappointed— forget it; go forth to new 
activities. 


172 


THE MASTER KEY 


THOUGHT-CONTROL IN ILL-HEALTH. 

Thought-Control in Ill-Health is one of the most difficult 
forms of control . The reason for this is apparent. 

When you are ill, mental exertion is extremely difficult. A 
book which is easy to you when in good health is intolerable 
when you are ill. Your thinking lacks continuity; you cannot 
follow the line of argument. 

Your brain soon gets tired when you are ill; if you make 
demands upon it you cause it to send stronger stimuli than you 
ordinarily need to send, in order to contract the muscles; the 
nervous system is then called upon to lend its aid, and to do 
this involves a greater intensity of nervous action. 

Further, when the brain is tired, as it always is when you 
are ill or your health below par, it feels everything to be a 
trouble. It can only think gloomy, sad, dispiriting thoughts. 
How, then, can any system of control deal with such thoughts. 

Now I know for a fact, and you know for a fact, that 
there are people who can do this. How do they do it ? You 
will invariably find in all such cases that these people have prac¬ 
ticed control over their thoughts when well —their control in 
ill-health then is simply the work of the law of habit. 

If you wish to have a measure of control over your thoughts 
when you are ill, you must lay the foundation by practicing 
control over your thoughts when you are well. Begin today. 
Encourage brave thinking, cheerful thinking, sunny thinking, 
and you will find the benefit of such practice when you are 
ill. You will find these thoughts breaking in like sunshine 
through a cloud, when the gloom of ill-health surrounds you. 
You will find them cheer you, inspire you, encourage you, to 
bear with the ill-health until they can rouse your powers to 
overcome it. 

The above is not mere talk, for it is given to you from 
the personal experience of many. I know the benefit such 
practice has been to me, and I can assure you that if you will 
follow my advice you will know it to be true, should you ever 
be under the gloom of ill-health. 

There is another point to which I would draw your atten¬ 
tion under this section, and that is the subject of Moods; this 
has an intimate connection with ill—or indifferent—health. 

You get up in the morning feeling out of sorts—you feel 
inclined to be angry, or quarrel with everyone. If you allow 


THOUGHT-CONTROL IN PUBLIC 


173 


such moods to go unchecked they will cause you a great deal of 
annoyance. Control them as follows: 

As soon as you find yourself as above any morning, refuse 
to. acknowledge the mood. Go down stairs resolved to be 
bright and cheerful. Greet your people with a cheery “Good 
Morning” and a smile. Carry this attitude with you to busi¬ 
ness. I can assure you that if you will adopt this plan you 
will find it effectual in ridding you of your unpleasant moods. 

SUMMARY OF LESSON NINETEEN. 

Students will note that this Lesson deals mainly with the 
character of Thought and its influence on your lives. It is 
also devoted to Emotional and Sensational states and their 
effect upon one's thoughts. Again, it deals with Thought-Con¬ 
trol in specific situations. 

Your World . The world is your world—it is what you think 
it is. 

What Thought can do for you. Your thoughts make or un¬ 
make you. You should cherish only such thoughts as will 
be of service to you. 

Thought Atmosphere. Study this Lesson carefully. Get rid 
of the inner thought-world of regrets, etc. Such thoughts 
are useless. Change your thought-world and you change 
your life. 

Mental Attitude. Train yourself to approach everything with 
a certain mental attitude. It is difficult or easy as you think 
it so. Do not dzvell on difficulty; recognize it and then 
dismiss it. Recognize that no effort is lost; facility will 
come according to the Law of Habit. 

Imagination. Understand thoroughly the part played by 
imagination in Thought-Control. Adopt a critical attitude 
and your fears will vanish. 

Confusion of Thought. This is caused by two ideas being 
present in consciousness at the same moment of time. Its 
victims are usually all who think deeply. Cultive quick¬ 
ness and definiteness in all you do, to control this. 

Fatigue. Mental or physical fatigue makes Thought-Control 
difficult. Never work or study to the point of exhaustion. 
Note that training greatly reduces the tendency to fatigue. 
Be careful how you approach a new study. 


174 


THE MASTER KEY 


Emotions and Sensations. Note that it is characteristic of 
Emotions and Sensations to extend beyond the immediate 
brain area affected by them. 

Fear. Fear tends to suppress all mental activity other than 
that which the exciting object calls forth. To control 
fear caused by the idea of something, we must ignore the 
feelings aroused, by concentrating on other feelings, i. e., 
their opposites. To control fear of an exciting object arouse 
the instinct of Self-Assertion. 

Worry. The things you worry about rarely come to pass; 
encourage this thought; it will make you think lightly of 
worry. Control worry by seeking First, a change of 
thought; Second, practicing Exercise No. I and No. 2 . Re¬ 
member that worry is always useless, for it paralyzes initia¬ 
tive and effort. 

Excitement. To control excitement pay attention to your 
breathing. Take deep breaths and practice the tight-shut 
mouth. Remember that excitement is a stimulant as well 
as a deterrent. 

Expectation. Expectation is the thought of something about 
to come, or happen; it is generally attended by strain. To 
control it practice turning the thoughts aside. 

Self-Consciousness. If self-conscious in the presence of 
strangers you must think of them never of yourself. Turn 
your mind aside by noting their speech, dress, etc. Blush¬ 
ing yields to the same treatment. 

Accidents, etc. To control the thoughts which these tend to 
raise you must not brood over them. Instantly turn your 
mind to some other subject. 

Adverse Criticism. As soon as you have read the adverse 
criticism leave it; when the mental pain is lessened, criticise 
carefully the adverse criticism. If it is just, recognize it; 
if unjust, disregard it. 

Thought-Control—In a Crowd. A crowd is a collective mind; 
its acts and words are contagious; its intelligence is never 
great. To guard against its influence be aware of it. 
Remember the individuals of a crowd are, for the time 
being, different persons. 

In Public Speaking. Success in Public Speaking demands a 
knowledge of First, your subject; Second, crowds and how 
to influence them; Third, fatigue. An audience wishes 
you, First, to do well; Second, to be interested—you must 


THOUGHT-CONTROL IN PUBLIC 


175 


do this right away. Cultivate an easy style of address; be 
genial and your audience will be genial—this reacts on 
you and gives you confidence. 

Tn Public Performances. The thinking of the ordeal is the try- 
ing part. Control your nervousness by concentrating on 
your accompaniment. Feel that you and your accompanist 
are interpreting the composer’s ideas. 

In Study . When beset by intellectual difficulties, leave them, 
and concentrate on “Rest” and Peace.” Cultivate the spirit 
of confidence that Rest will enable you to conquer the 
difficulties. Note how the Hindoos value Rest. Guard 
against the worry mood in study; it spreads over the brain 
and inhibits the ideas you are in search of. Rest removes 
the inhibition. 

In Business. Business men and women should control annoy¬ 
ances from, First, Correspondence; Second, Employes. An 
annoying letter should be put aside instantly —this controls 
the mental shock; it should be replied to after an interval. 
Adopt the same method re annoyance from Employes— 
observe an interval and deal with the matter later. 

In General. To control the little annoyances of life, check 
instantly the feelings to which they give rise. It is the 
brooding over them which causes you trouble. 

In Ill-Health. All mental exertion is difficult in ill-health; 
gloomy, dispiriting thoughts rule; the demands on the 
nervous system are greater. To control, you must begin 
when you are well; the law of habit will tell; the cheerful, 
hopeful thoughts formed when you are well tend to rise 
when you are ill. Note how to control your moods—it is 
simply a matter of determining to act different to what 
they suggest. 


ulljf iMaater JCeg 

CHAPTER XXII. 

LESSON TWENTY. 

HABIT. 

FIXED HABITS, GOOD HABITS, BAD HABITS. 

It is the first week in the New Year. You write out a 
cheque and present it to your bankers for payment. If you 
watch the cashier closely, you will notice that almost the first 
glance he gives at your cheque is in the direction of the date. 
Why does he do this? Simply because experience has taught 
him that the probability is that you will have put the date 
of the past, instead of the present year. 

Here you have the nature of habit exemplified, viz.—that 
tendency of the mind to repeat its processes with their char¬ 
acteristic movements. According to the frequency with which 
you have performed an act, or thought along certain lines, so 
will you tend to repeat these acts or processes more readily; 
likewise you will give preference to that which you have done 
before, or thought before, rather than to new ways of doing 
or thinking. Many are creatures of habit—once they get into 
a rut they tend to keep to it. 

The effect of habit on the plasticity of the brain is like 
the effect made upon a piece of paper when you bend it or 
crease it. The crease remains in the paper no matter how you 
attempt to straighten it out again. In like manner every 
thought we think forms a pathway through the brain, and 
once made we cannot destroy its traces, although we can 
modify its influence by other thoughts. 

OUTSTANDING FEATURES OF FIXED HABITS. 

A fixed, or “set” habit, is marked by the following outstand¬ 
ing features: Automatism and Facility. 

If you analyze Automatism you find the following peculi- 
176 


HABIT 


177 


arities: First, it always acts in the same way; Second, it is 
antagonistic to interference or adjustment; Third, it seems to 
be independent of attention. 

First —Illustrates why you act in a routine way; why you 
tend to go to business always along the same streets; 
why you perform your work in a certain order or ar¬ 
rangement; why you prefer one restaurant or hotel 
than others—it is all a matter of custom with you. 

Second —Illustrates why you hate innovation or new meth¬ 
ods. Business men are very familiar with this attitude: 
commercials introducing a novelty, or a time saving 
device, know how difficult it is to get their first order 
if the new “line” interferes with their customer’s fixed 
business methods. 

Third —A familiar example of this peculiarity is seen when 
you watch an expert musician. He will, perhaps, be 
talking to you while his fingers are making the most 
complicated movements. 

I will now take the other outstanding feature of habit— 
Facility. If you watch a clever juggler, or a virtuoso, you are 
struck by the ease with which they seem to go through their 
complicated movements. If you go home and attempt to 
imitate their movements you are at once aware of the enormous 
difficulties they have overcome. How is it that these people 
can perform with ease that which is an impossibility to you? 
Leaving genius or talent out of account, the reason is simply 
this: their muscles, by long and arduous training, have become 
accustomed to these complex movements, hence they can go 
through their performance with a minimum of attention, and 
fatigue . 

The acquisition of skill proceeds on the following lines. At 
first you use more muscles than are required for the work in 
hand. If you are working intelligently you will note this, 
and your constant effort will be to use only such muscles as are 
absolutely necessary; gradually the interfering muscles are 
got under control, at each renewal of effort, until finally you 
can perform with ease. Once you reach this stage there is no 
need for attentive effort (conation) ; hence future performances 
become more and more automatic. In the case of a musician, 
when he reaches the above stage, he is not hampered by 
technique, hence he can put his soul into his playing. 


178 


THE MASTER KEY 


THE FORMATION OF GOOD HABITS. 

In forming a new habit your success will depend greatly 
upon the strength of its start. A powerful, determined set off 
is of prime importance and the best set off is when you act upon 
your impulse of the moment, for at such times the better part 
of your nature is uppermost. (The writer is dealing with 
good impulses, of course.) “Habits are formed only in the 
service of the instincts/’ therefore, when you decide, under 
emotional stress, to form a new habit, it is essential to act 
at once while the impulse is with you. 

Again, you should embrace every opportunity, when the 
impulse returns, to strengthen your original resolution, for this 
will make a strong impression on the neural brain paths. It is 
important also, once you have “turned over a new leaf” to give 
the new habit constant attention and encouragement. Never 
say : “I will make an exception just this once”—such treatment 
tends to kill a new habit, for the “just once” is apt to be re¬ 
peated on another occasion. 

The old theological writers used to say: “Satan likes a 
man who will argue with him” Once you have made a good 
resolution, never look behind; do not begin to wonder if you 
have done right, or if it will turn out all right— go ahead 
with it. 

In forming habits that involve the acquisition of skill, it 
is of vital importance that the first steps be strictly accurate. 
Thousands of pupils, who have learned the piano or violin 
from an indifferent teacher, are doomed to remain poor players 
all their lives, no matter how they practice. Their only salva¬ 
tion is to commence again under a good teacher, and this will 
entail much trouble, even where the desire to learn is keen. 
Students will understand the reason of this by a careful con¬ 
sideration of the next section. 

THE PERMANENCY OF HABIT. 

Dr. Schofield relates in “The Unconscious Mind” how 
Houdin the conjurer trained himself in the difficult habit of 
reading aloud while keeping four balls going in the air. He 
did not practice this for many years, and yet, after thirty years 
found he could still read and keep three balls going. 

It is owing to this permanency of habit that musicians who 


HABIT 


179 


have been thoroughly trained in their youth, and have, perhaps, 
drifted into other professions, are able to resume their practice 
years after, with but a slight falling off in skill; a little practice, 
and they soon find themselves able to perform the works 
of their youth. 

If you are conscious that you are forming bad habits you 
should remember the permanency of habit. 

We may forget and forgive, but the neurines* never for¬ 
get or forgive. 

HOW TO CURE BAD HABITS. 

In Chapter XXV, Lesson Twenty-three , on Memory, 
under section “The Art of Forgetting,” you are told, in at¬ 
tempting to forget ideas which you do not wish to remember, 
that you cannot oppose such ideas directly. 

It is the same with bad habits; it is useless to fight them— 
you must get away from them by banishing them to the sea 
of forgetfulness as advised elsewhere in this work. 

It is the error of many to fight useless battles—useless 
either because being weak they are sure to be beaten, or because 
though strong they gain victory at too great a cost. 

How then should you deal with bad habits? An example 
will, perhaps, be the best way to illustrate this. Take the 
case of a man who has given way to vice. After every trans¬ 
gression he is overwhelmed with shame; he hates himself; 
he will never give way again. If he has been brought up in a 
Christian home he prays to be delivered from the evil which 
is sapping away his life, but in many cases his prayers are of 
no avail. Why? Because the man has not really altered. 
His desires are as strong as ever and are, for the moment, 
merely in the background. The neurines* are quietly waiting, 
ready to respond to the slightest stimulus. On the other hand, 
should the man succeed by fighting, it will be at the cost of 
terrible mental anguish. 

Is there an easier way than fighting? There is, and it is 
as I said above, by running away. What this man should do is 
to cultivate friendship with Virtue. He must think virtue, love 
virtue, live virtue. He must surround himself with virtuous 
friends, virtuous books, virtuous influences. He must medi¬ 
tate upon virtue and constantly encourage himself to walk in 


♦Nerve-cells. 



180 


THE MASTER KEY 


her paths. By following this plan he will give vice nothing to 
feed on, and, like everything else that must have sustenance, 
vice will soon starve and die when food is withheld it. 

Further —our man must not dwell on his lapses; he must 
not call down the wrath of God to destroy him—he must forget 
his lapses, and march steadily onward. The greatest stumbling 
block in the overcoming of bad habits is this tendency to dwell 
on your lapses; you must get away from these by using every 
influence to forget them. To conquer had habits forget them 
by concentrating upon their opposites. 

. Minor ba d Habits, such as biting the finger nails, indulging 
in gestures, and the loss of control, as told elsewhere in this 
work, are best overcome by becoming conscious of the habit. 
Nearly all these habits are purely automatic, and if you con¬ 
centrate your attention upon them and fully determine to be 
rid of them, you can be sure of victory. 

For Summary of Lesson Twenty, see page 206 . 


Slip Haater SCeg 

flart 3hmr 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

LESSON TWENTY-ONE. 

WILL CULTURE—MIND TRAINING. 

THE NATURE OF VOLITION. 

“A volition is the self-realization of an idea with which the 
self is identified ” 

It has been said that “Volition* is nothing but Attention,” 
and “Attention with effort is all that any case of Volition im¬ 
plies.” Volition, however, cannot he dismissed so easily—what 
do you mean by effort ? 

Before you can attend to an act of Volition you must have 
an idea upon which to focus attention. This idea must be 
one with which you can identify yourself; it must have a 
definiteness of aim, so that the end to be achieved can be 
foreseen. 

Suppose you resolve to master a problem in mathematics. 
The problem forms your idea and upon it you focus all your 
attention. You know the problem to be difficult, yet you feel 
its difficulties are not beyond your powers. The end in view 
is the solution of the problem, and you know when you reach 
this end that you will experience pleasure—satisfaction. 

When you “will” to solve the problem you know it will 
require close attention; do you feel that your attention is the 
“MASTER KEY” in the situation? No—you feel that the 
“MASTER KEY” is the spirit within you—the “Self” —which 

♦Volition is to be preferred to the term “Will” since Will is used in a 
dual sense, (i) As the faculty (so-called) of willing. (2) As the act 
of willing. Volition is always used in the sense of the act of willing. 

181 



182 


THE MASTER KEY 


will not be satisfied until the problem is solved. Attention 
is of vital importance, but Volition is something more than 
this; it is the conative spirit within you—the striving, urging, 
driving, won’ t-be-b eaten element, which will not rest until it is 
satisfied, and then, like all conation, ceases, leaving Will 
triumphant . 

But suppose while you are attending to the problem some 
idea, other than the problem, enters consciousness—an idea 
rooted in your instincts or impulses; and suppose this idea is 
strong enough to make you abandon the problem— this alien 
idea will not be a Volition, for it is not identified with the 
,( Self”; it was not willed by you. 

You will now see that for an idea to constitute a Volition 
it must be one that is identified with you; you must be able 
to keep it at the focus of consciousness; you must be able to 
inhibit all other ideas, and the power that is going to enable 
you to do this is the thought of what you are going to do 
coupled with the conative spirit within you, urging you to 
satisfy it—this forms your impulse to action, and according 
to its strength will be the probability of your succeeding in 
solving the problem. So recognized is this that when you speak 
of a certain type of man as about to do something we say: 
“Oh! he is sure to succeed; he has got it in him.” 

This initial impulse calls upon the whole organism to sup¬ 
port its efforts—common speech recognizes this when it says: 
“Smith has succeeded, but it took it out of him.” Just as the 
thought of strength adds to our strength, this initial impulse 
with its mental and physical helpers, forms the motor force 
which lies behind Attention, and as it gathers strength, forces 
you to attend. The conative element—the striving, struggling, 
driving element, is, therefore, the prime essential in Volition, 
and Attention may, therefore, be said to be merely its attendant. 

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE VOLITION. 

Every time you will to do something, that is, every time 
you focus attention on an idea with the object of carrying it 
out in fact, there are certain things which help you and 
certain things that hinder you in the Volitional process. These 
things or factors have a dual nature—sometimes they are 
friendly to your cause and help you enormously; at other 
times they wreck your resolutions and plunge you into despair. 


WILL CULTURE AND MIND TRAINING 183 

That you may consider these factors, I will group them as 
follows: 

First, Emotions and Instincts; Second, Desires and 
Motives; Third, Suggestion. The student should ex¬ 
amine each of these three groups carefully, for their 
analysis will help greatly when he comes to the question 
of “How to educate the Will.” Students are, there¬ 
fore, requested to give particular attention to the re¬ 
marks under each group. 

THE EMOTIONS AND INSTINCTS. 

In treating the Emotions and Instincts I shall deal first with 
“The Nature of Emotion” ; next {( The Nature of Instinct,” and 
lastly, “The Emotions and their correlate Instincts.” 

THE NATURE OF EMOTION. 

That the student may understand better what is meant by 
Emotion, I will here give the order of the events in an emo¬ 
tional state. First, perception of an exciting object; Second, 
mental shock; Third, correlation of bodily disturbance or com¬ 
motion with the shock. 

If you are walking through a field and you suddenly see a 
bull coming tearing after you, the perception of this exciting 
object causes you a mental shock—the mental distress is im¬ 
mediately followed by bodily distress. The emotion of Fear 
now arouses its correlate instinct, Flight, and you take to your 
heels as best as your mental and bodily distress will allow you. 

The above illustrates the perceptual class of emotional 
states; the other classes are the ideational class and the organic 
class. Thus, sometimes, the thought of something, the mere 
“idea” is sufficient to commence the emotional process; at other 
times, organic changes; that is, a disturbance in the viscera, or 
any bodily organ, is sufficient to arouse an emotion. Drugs 
and alcohol have a like effect. Thus, “Bromides will render a 
brave man—one quick to anger—timid and dull, while tonics 
— cafeine, kola or alcohol —taken in excess, can make one who 
is generally low spirited and not particularly heroic, merry, 
adventurous or even cruel.” 

Emotions are marked by two characteristic outstanding 


184 


THE MASTER KEY 


features— First , their tendency to persist when once aroused; 
Second, to attack any object which presents itself. This latter 
feature is very marked in animals. Thus, a number of dogs 
attracted by, and failing to understand, the cause of another 
dog’s howling, commence to fight with each other. Their 
emotions having been aroused, the dogs seize on the first thing 
that presents itself—another dog. Men are like animals in 
this respect. Let the emotion of anger be aroused and they 
are ready to fight with their dearest and closest friends. 

THE NATURE OF INSTINCT. 

Primitive man was dominated by his instincts. If he was 
angry he “let go” without considering the result; if he was 
afraid he took to his heels at once; if he wanted a wife, he 
did not wait to get her parents’ consent; he took her by force, 
if need be.* With primitive man his instincts were impulses 
to act immediately, and this features is still prominent today. 

Instincts may be regarded as innate tendencies of the mind 
to act in a specific way—ways which you usually say are 
independent of education, previous experience, or a knowledge 
of ends. They are distinguished from a reflex action since they 
involve perception as well as sensational factors. They cannot 
be acquired nor entirely eradicated, but suffer modification to a 
certain extent through environment. Many instincts are not 
constant, they ripen at a certain age and then die away. 

It is owing to the power of instincts that education has such 
feeble results in moulding character. To understand a child 
you must understand its dominant instincts —all your fault find¬ 
ing, your admonition, your punishments, will be of little avail 
.unless you understand the part a child’s instincts plays in its 
life. And this applies to yourself also; if you wish to under¬ 
stand yourself you must study your instincts and the part they 
play, and have played in your life. Your instincts are the 
hidden forces that are constantly spurring you on to good or 
evil; they inspire you to, or deter you from, actions that lead to 
success in any pursuit; they color all your thoughts; they can 
plunge you into the depths of despair, or raise you to the 
heights of bliss—you cannot ignore them. 

*See the interesting account of Marriage by Capture in “A History of 
Politics” by Edward Jenks, M.A. (pp. 26-27). 



WILL CULTURE AND MIND TRAINING 185 


THE EMOTIONS AND THEIR CORRELATE 
INSTINCTS. 

Every emotion has its corresponding instinct, and every in¬ 
stinct its corresponding emotion. 

Fear is, perhaps, the strongest of the emotions; once it is 
aroused it raises the instinct of Flight . Where the fear is 
overpowering, the instinct of flight gives way to that of con¬ 
cealment. In both cases the respiration suffers, but in the 
paralyzing fear which leads to concealment, the heart beat 
grows less and almost stops, just as if the organism were trying 
to stifle all noise. 

The emotion of Anger is correlated with the instinct of 
Pugnacity. Closely allied with Anger is the emotion oi Disgust 
leading to the instinct of Repulsion —you seek to push the 
offending object out of sight. The emotion of Wonder rouses 
the instinct of Curiosity. If Wonder attains a certain stage it 
passes into the emotion of Fear. The emotion of Exhilaration 
—the joyous, full of life feeling, rouses the instinct of Asser¬ 
tiveness —the Pm the man” “I can do it” “I’m master,” 
“Get out of the way” feeling. The negative of the emotion 
of Exhilaration is the emotion of Depression or Despondency 
—the “Life is not worth living,” “Everything is going to the 
dogs” feeling, with its correlate instinct of Self-Repression — 
the humble, slinking, crouching, “lick the dust” feeling. What _ 
are called the Tender Emotions —Pity, Sympathy, Gratitude, 
etc., are connected with the Parental Instincts. 

All the other emotions and instincts are either derived from 
the above primary emotions and instincts, or are composite 
forms of them. Thus Joy and Sorrow, Love and Hate, are 
commonly regarded as complex emotions, since several factors 
combine to produce these states. 

Emotion* is the feeling that results from the bodily changes 
following the mental shock aroused by the perception of the 
exciting object. 

♦Students who are interested in the subject of the Emotions and In¬ 
stincts should read under their respective chapters in Dr. McDougall’s 
admirable work—“Social Psychology.” See also Prof. Stout’s “Ground¬ 
work of Psychology” (which contains a chapter on “The Tender Emo¬ 
tions” by Alexander F. Shand) ; Prof. James’s “Text Book of Psy¬ 
chology”; Ribot’s “The Psychology of the Emotions.’ All these works 
are easily procured through a good bookseller. 



186 


THE MASTER KEY 


DESIRE AND MOTIVE. 

Desires and motives play an important part in Volition; 
therefore, you should attempt to get a rough idea of what is 
meant by these terms. 

A Desire is commonly regarded as an uneasy sense of want, 
a longing for something which craves for satisfaction. But 
a desire is more than this; it is also more than an impulse, for 
in real desire we are always conscious of the end we seek. 
The origin of a desire may be either physical or mental, but 
it is always a mental (psychical) process. 

It is important to note that the strength of a desire lies not 
in itself, but in the totality of desires which go to make up a 
person’s character. Thus if you have a sudden desire to steal, 
this single desire will have no force unless it is associated 
with other desires in your being which tend to support it. 
Again, you may have a desire for learning, to be a learned 
man; but if the dominant desires of your nature are for ease 
or enjoyment, your desire for learning will have little chance 
in a conflict with these stronger desires. 

A Motive is more than a desire. A desire may be a quasi¬ 
impulse to act, but a motive is that which induces you to act. 
You may desire wealth and get no further, but if wealth be¬ 
comes a motive it leads you to act in such ways as will result 
in the attainment of wealth. 

Motives may be either good or bad, but in either case their 
objective is something you hope to achieve—you conceive an 
end and you work for this end. It is not always easy to know 
or distinguish your real motives for acting in a certain way, 
and in nothing do you deceive yourselves so much as when 
you say your motive for doing a certain thing was so and so; 
it is only when you come to analyze your motive that you find 
it something totally different from what you thought it was. 

SUGGESTION. 

Suggestion is of vital importance in understanding the 
Volitional Process. Consider for a moment the part it plays 
in your life. 

A great scientist announces that apples contain an element 
which is the true elixir of life and forthwith thousands of 
people, on the strength of this statement, commence eating 


WILL CULTURE AND MIND TRAINING 187 


apples. A fashion paper announces that a certain color will 
be the vogue in the coming season, and thousands of ladies 
order their dresses accordingly. A music teacher has certain 
little mannerisms in playing—all his pupils tend to copy these 
as part of his system. A medical student conceives that his 
professor in going through the wards has a perfect bedside 
manner—he adopts this unhesitatingly when he gains a practice 
of his own. The writer need not extend the list. If you 
reflect a little, you will be convinced that everyone in some way 
is influenced by suggestion. 

Suggestion seems to be rooted in the innate tendency of 
animals to imitate or copy the actions of other animals. Just 
as we can hardly think of a movement without some attempt 
to carry it out, so when we see other people doing a certain act 
that appeals to us we feel the impulse to follow their example. 

Watch a football crowd and you will notice how the crowd 
breaks out into movement when the players get the ball away. 
Note in yourself the impulse to run when you see in a Rugby 
game a three-quarter back rush down the field with the ball. 
Similarly when seated in a cab, hurrying to catch a train, many 
people can hardly resist the impulse to be up and doing, and 
you will find them in continual motion all the way to the train. 

Suggestion is a process of communication resulting in the 
acceptance with conviction of the communicated proposition in 
the absence of logically adequate grounds for its acceptance. 

Liability to suggestion depends on the following factors: 
If the suggestion is made by a person its power over you will 
depend on, 

First, the strength of the personality of the one making the 
suggestion. 

Second, his relations to you. 

Third, the degree of your knowledge involved in the sug¬ 
gestion. 

Fourth, your receptiveness at the time when the suggestion 
is made. 

Under (First) note that personality is a complex. Some 
people impress you by the manner in which they make the sug¬ 
gestion. It may be conveyed in an impressive manner, or by a 
hint, gesture, or command. Personality, again, passes into 
(Second ) your relation to the person making the suggestion, 
whether as superior,, (in position or intelligence) employer, 


188 


THE MASTER KEY 


teacher, friend. Clergymen and doctors may be taken as types 
of relational suggestion. If your doctor says you look better, 
you feel better. Note, too, the part the instinct of Assertiveness 
plays in relational suggestion. If you feel you are in the pres¬ 
ence of your inferiors, (as regards position, influence, wealth, 
learning), the impulse to assert yourself becomes dominant; 
whereas in the presence of your superiors the instinct of Self- 
Repression—the “keep in the hack ground” feeling—tends to 
manifest itself. 

The degree of your knowledge {Third) or convictions, in any 
subject will be the measure of your suggestibility, in that subject. 
You will understand this better if you reflect how readily children 
accept a suggestion owing to the limitations of their knowledge. 
If a suggestion is in agreement with your convictions it has 
you in its power at once. 

Your receptiveness ( Fourth ) in suggestion varies greatly ac¬ 
cording to time, place and circumstances. If you are tired, sug¬ 
gestions to "give up ,} what you are doing will have great weight 
with you. A suggestion to reform which in ordinary circum¬ 
stances would have no weight, becomes well nigh irresistible when 
made by a popular preacher from his pulpit. 

I will now consider briefly the circumstances under which 
suggestions come to you, not from a person, but from outside 
influences. Such are, books, newspapers, travel, advertise¬ 
ments, plays. The power of suggestion here will be your 
receptiveness at the time, and your degree of knowledge of the 
subject. These non-personal suggestions play an important 
part in one’s life; it would hardly be too much to say that they 
exercise a greater power over us than personal suggestions, for 
often a suggestion from a person is marred by some manner¬ 
ism on his part which arouses instincts antagonistic to it. 

TYPES OF WILE. 

The part played by Type is one of the most interesting 
sections in the study of the Will. I shall describe, briefly, 
ten main Types of Will. 

The Impulsive type. This is the commonest of all the Types 
of Will. It acts on the spur of the moment without regard to 
consequences. It is dominated by the instincts, refuses to listen 
tc reason, and in consequence often plunges its possessor into 
disaster. 


WILL CULTURE AND MIND TRAINING 189 


The Imperative Type. The Imperative or Commanding Type 
is dominated by the instinct of Assertiveness. It demands every¬ 
thing to give way to it, and seeks to bend everything to its pur¬ 
pose. It differs from the Impulsive Type in that its ends are 
clearly marked out and the means necessary thereto generally 
well conceived. 

The Confident Type. This Type is closely allied to the Im¬ 
pulsive; it is distinguished therefrom by a belief in its ability to 
execute anything it undertakes. It regards success as certain, 
yet often fails through neglecting to take the means necessary 
to success. It is apt to jump to conclusions, disregard data, and 
rely on chance to carry it through. (It must not be confounded 
with the confidence which is rooted in experience and knowledge.) 

The Contrary Type. Many children display this Type in a 
marked degree. They delight in acting contrary to instructions 
and advice. It is prominent also in some men who seem to think 
its possession a mark of superiority, or a higher degree of intelli¬ 
gence. Its possessor is not to be envied for it “sets the back up” 
of everyone who comes into contact with it. Some people term 
this Type the spirit of “pure cussedness.” Every man who seeks 
for success and recognizes that he belongs to the Contrary Type, 
should recognize that he is running the race with needless weight. 

The Automatic Type. Business men are familiar with this 
Type—the routine type. It tends always to work in familiar 
paths. If a thing has to be done, it must be done on old lines; 
it never seeks novel or better ways of doing things, and indeed 
distrusts any departure from custom. It is almost entirely the 
creature of habit. 

The Unconscious Type. It seems a contradiction to speak of 
any Type of Will as the Unconscious Type, yet you will all under¬ 
stand what is meant by it if you consult the annals of genius. 
The genius feels an innate power spurring him on, he knows not 
where. You will readily recognize this element when you speak 
of his work as the result of his genius. Many who are not 
geniuses have felt a touch of this hidden, subliminal power; they 
set out to do a thing not very confident of success, yet the result 
may be a brilliant success. You speak of it afterwards by saying, 
“I worked better than I knew.” 

The Fatalistic Type. This type works under peculiar condi¬ 
tions; if a thing is to be a success, it will be a sucess; if it is not 
to be a success, it will not be a success. Often this type recog¬ 
nizes that reason is against its mode of working, but it shuts its 
eyes to the fact and keeps to its course. 

The Indecisive Type. Everyone will recognize this Type; we 
have, perhaps, all belonged to it at some time or other. It con¬ 
ceives an end and the means to an end, but almost immediately 


190 


THE MASTER KEY 


other ends are conceived which negative the former. The mind 
wavers between ideas and very often the project gets no fuither 
than the initial stage. 

The Thoughtful Type. This Type makes everything subject 
to reason; nothing must be decided upon until it has been care¬ 
fully worked out. It is often marked by indecision or fatalism 
if the thought is unduly prolonged. 

The Ideal Type. “It is important that you should get rid of 
the habit of thinking of the Ideal as something too good to be 
true.” You should regard it rather as the principle which deter¬ 
mines your actions. The Ideal Type, then, is distinguished from 
the other Types in that it seeks to make use of everything that 
will help its purpose. It understands and makes use of its im¬ 
pulses ; it knows when to assert itself; its confidence is based on 
its own powers correlated with its past experience and knowl¬ 
edge; it knows when to differ from an opponent, and is not above 
correction; it knows what part in action can be left with safety 
to automatism, and it knows also the value of a careful, thought¬ 
ful review before acting. This is the Type I commend to you, 
to take as your guide in the Volitional Process. 

THE FREEDOM OF THE WILE. 

You are suddenly faced with a temptation to steal. You 
have two alternatives—to obey the impulse or to dismiss it. 
Determinists, or Necessitarians , hold that whichever way you 
choose is determined by laws over which you have no control. 
Your present decision is the resultant of past decisions; it rep¬ 
resents your present circumstances, your past history and your 
character as a whole. Libertarians, or Indeterminists, hold that 
in the moment of decision your power to choose the one or the 
other alternative is equal, no matter what your past has been, 
or the nature of the present conditions. 

It is now generally recognized that these two schools of 
writers simply represent opposite sides of the same truth and 
that the idea of self-determination combines the two sides. 
You are free to act in as far as yourself will allow you—there 
is nothing outside of you forcing you to act contrary to your 
inclination—the resistance, if there be any, comes from within 
you. 

The above will enable you to understand what is meant by 
circumstances; they are not mere external conditions; they 
are only circumstances in an ethical sense in so far as they affect 
your lives. In conditions or circumstances common to two 


WILL CULTURE AND MIND TRAINING 191 


men one will, perhaps, be affected by them and the other un¬ 
touched. We all bring something into our circumstances, and 
our circumstances have power over us only in so far as that 
something is in sympathy with them. 

For Summary of Lesson Twenty-one, see Page No. 


0I;p Mauler ICry 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

LESSON TWENTY-TWO. 

EDUCATION OF THE WILL. 

HOW TO COMMENCE THE EDUCATION OF THE 
WILL. 

Students who desire to cultivate their Will-Power should 
first be sure they have made deep study of Lesson Twenty-one, 
as Lesson Twenty-two is dependent upon it, and will not be 
understood without reference to it. 

Every student of Will Culture and Mind Training should 
understand to which type he belongs, as explained in Lesson 
Twenty-one, under section “Types of Will” for this will 
reveal to a great extent his mental attitude; he should under¬ 
stand next the part Motive plays in the volitional process. He 
must next learn, First, how to control his Emotions and Im¬ 
pulses; Second, the qualities to cultivate in aiming at success; 
Third, how to cultivate Self-Reliance. 

In this Lesson the student will be shown, First, the Will in 
Action; Second, how to use Auto-Suggestion and the Art of 
Influencing Others; Third, the value of Exercise; Fourth, the 
right attitude towards Diet. The application of Will-Power 
in Business and in Study will also be considered. 

HOW TO KNOW YOUR TYPE. 

It is not an easy matter to label a man as belonging to one 
particular type. For instance, you may be conscious of being 
a medley of types; sometimes you seem to belong to the 
Impulsive Type, at others to the Imperative, Automatic, or 
Indecisive types. How, then, shall you know your type? In 
this way—your type is the type that is dominant, the type that 

192 


EDUCATION OF THE WILL 


193 


plays the leading role in your life; the type your intimate 
friends mostly know you by. 

If you were asked to name the type to which your friend 
Baker belonged you would not judge him by occasional glimpses 
of his character; you would sum up his character into a whole 
and you would say: “On the whole I think Baker belongs 
to the Impulsive Type In seeking to understand your type, 
therefore, you must ask yourself fairly: “Which of these 
types is most characteristic of me?” When you can answer 
this you will have found your type. 

Once you have found your type you will have found also 
your mental attitude towards life. Suppose you fix your type 
as the Confident Type; your mental attitude is the “it's all 
right” “success is sure,” “everything is rosy” attitude. The 
confident man lives for a time under the emotion of Exhilara¬ 
tion; when his plans go wrong, he generally takes a deep 
plunge into the emotion of Depression—he tries to get out of 
your road when he sees you coming. 

Once you have found your type you should do all you can 
to get into the Ideal Type, for this is the type that gives the 
greatest pleasure and the minimum of pain. It is the perse¬ 
vering type par excellence. 

HOW MOTIVES DETERMINE SUCCESS. 

An analysis of your motives for doing anything will be 
a gauge as to your success. You recognize this when you reply 
to anyone: “If that was your motive it is no wonder you did 
not succeed.” 

I will illustrate. Suppose you wish to learn the Violin— 
what is your motive? You may reply: “I would like to play 
well, so that I may entertain my friends, or take part in a public 
performance.” Your real motive may be simply to excel a 
friend who has just commenced to learn the instrument. You 
would like to be a great preacher —what is your motive? “I 
want to do good in the world, raise men out of the depths of 
despair, and to put their feet on the right road.” Your real 
motive may be the applause of men. You would like to be 
a great writer —what is your motive? “I want to instruct (or 
amuse) mankind.” Your real motive may be simply to make 
money . 

The above examples will show you the part Motive plays 


194 


THE MASTER KEY 


in Volition, and how it interferes with your success. Your real 
motive is always the dominant factor in Volition; it is, there¬ 
fore, of the utmost importance to every student of the Will to 
thoroughly understand his motives, and careful analysis is the 
only means of securing this. 

Your real motives may be right or wrong as judged by 
worldly standards; their strength will lie in their power to urge 
you onwards to your goal. When you know your real motive 
you add to its impulsive, driving power; you have no conflict 
between the false and the real motive constantly retarding your 
progress. 

HOW TO CONTROL YOUR EMOTIONS AND 
IMPULSES. 

The phenomena of hypnotism has demonstrated that if you 
place a subject in a characteristic attitude he instantly assumes 
the character represented by the attitude. Thus, if you place 
him in the attitude characteristic of boxing, his face assumes 
the determined or angry look of a man about to fight. Put 
him on his knees, and fold his hands in the attitude of prayer, 
and his face “takes on” a devotional look. 

What may you learn from the above? You may learn this 
—you can simulate any emotion if you will imitate as far as 
possible the bodily changes and facial expression which accom¬ 
pany it. 

Suppose you simulate Anger. For this purpose you imag¬ 
ine some one standing in front of you who has done you an 
injury. You look steadily at him and rise threateningly; your 
muscles become tense, your breathing labored; you clench your 
fists as you feel the pugnacious instinct aroused. If your sim¬ 
ulation is perfect you feel angry. And yet there is something 
lacking—it is the mental shock. Yet this can be made real if 
you bring to memory a case where you had reason to be angry; 
and then you note the tendency of the feeling to persist, which 
is a characteristic of emotional states. 

To control an emotional state, then, you can simulate its 
opposite. If you are sad, you can simulate joy and gladness; 
if you are afraid, you can simulate boldness; if you feel full 
of hate, you can simulate love. 

Another way to control an emotion is to analyze it. When 
you are angry and are conscious of it, ask yourself why you 


EDUCATION OF THE WILL 


195 


are angry. Go over the ground; reason it out with yourself 
if circumstances permit. Some people employ this method 
with marked success, but usually it does not give such good 
results as the former method.* 

How shall you control an impulse ? By learning to recog¬ 
nize its character instantly. Is it a good impulse? If so, follow 
it. Is it a bad impulse ? Then check it instantly. Impulses by 
their very nature demand immediate action; you must gratify 
this—act quickly whether the impulse be good or bad. In the 
former case, follow it; in the latter, dismiss it. 

You will say, perhaps, it is impossible to check a bad im¬ 
pulse. If this were so a thief would always be stealing, police¬ 
man or no policeman. The fact is no one obeys an impulse 
(abnormal cases excepted) without a brief interval of reflec¬ 
tion. The thief looks round to see if the way is clear; the liar 
rapidly sums up the situation before replying. I arn speaking 
here of what may be termed the initial impulse. It is charac¬ 
teristic of impulses that according as they are heeded so do 
they gather strength. You see this markedly in the case of 
an angry man who eventually comes to blows. 

QUALITIES TO CULTIVATE. 

The man who aims at success must cultivate good qualities. 
He must be industrious, hopeful, cheerful. 

What is the great enemy we all have to fight when we 
seek to cultivate industry ? It is Indolence. Fight, then, your 
indolent moods; be chary of saying, “I do not feel in form 
today.” Do not act on this mood without first testing it. If 
you are really unwell you will be unable to go on with your 
task; if you are merely lazy, the fit will wear off if you keep 
to your task. The best way to fight indolence is to have set 
times for doing things and keep to these times. Make a time 
chart and stick to it. Live by Rule. 

Hope is a quality that is possessed by every successful man, 
and it is a quality that can be acquired. The hope you must 
acquire must have its basis in faith in yourself. This hope is 
very different from the Micawber type—the hope that hopes 
that something will turn up. When you have faith in your¬ 
self you feel you can hope, ought to hope. Make milestones 

*1 shall deal further with the control of an emotion in the section on 
“Thought-Control.” 




196 


THE MASTER KEY 


on the road of hope; that is, review your work occasionally 
and note the progress you are making. 

“A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance; 
but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” 

—(Prov. XV; 13.) 

“He that is of a merry heart 
hath a continual feast.” 

—(Prov. XV; 15.) 

Cheerfulness must be cultivated. Cheerfulness is largely a 
habit of mind, and like all habits, can be acquired. We all like 
to meet the cheerful man; we feel he is an inspiration to us. 
But the cheerful man is more than this—he is an inspiration 
to himself. He feels that his cheerfulness increases his energy; 
enables him to work easier. He feels, too, that it attracts 
people to him, and gains him an audience at doors where the 
despondent man knocks unheeded. But remember, true cheer¬ 
fulness is not a veneer; it is solid, “all of a piece”; it is the 
whole man. 

“A merry heart doeth good 
like a medicine; but a broken 
spirit drieth the bones.” 

— (Prov. XVII; 22.) 

To cultivate cheerfulness you must adopt the attitude of 
the cheerful man. You must encourage cheerful, joyful 
thoughts, and be on the lookout for them. You must encour¬ 
age such words as Happy, Joyful, Merry. Get amongst people 
and books of this type, but be sure they are the right type with 
no veneer, or lack of backbone about them. 

Get up in the morning determined to be cheerful. Greet 
your friends and associates with a smile, a smile that is the 
essence of good nature. Cultivate the art of smiling by looking 
at yourself in a mirror. Note how the mind takes on a differ¬ 
ent attitude when you smile—if you can keep on smiling, de¬ 
spondency must say good-bye. Do not confuse a smile with the 
idiotic or silly grin which some people seem to think it; 
remember smiling is an art, and must be used with art . 

Cultivate Politeness and Courtesy. If you wish to make 
the wheels of life run smoothly, you will be polite and cour¬ 
teous. Note that politeness is really a bending down, as it 
were, of a superior to an inferior; it therefore demands infin¬ 
ite tact. A polite man is an educated, refined man; one who 
seeks opportunities to please; one who is full of delicate atten¬ 
tions and seeks to anticipate the wishes of others. 


EDUCATION OF THE WILL 


197 


A courteous man is one who pays particular regard to ad¬ 
dress and manners. 

Courtesy is practiced between strangers; true politeness is 
practiced between strangers and friends alike. 

To cultivate Politeness and Courtesy you must have models. 
Study the people with whom you come into contact. The best 
of us can learn in this way, for no man can claim to be an 
absolute model. Note specially what is pleasing to you; and 
note also its effect on others when you come to employ the 
methods and art of your model. You will learn much in this 
way if you are observant. 

Cultivate Charm. Charm is an elusive and indefinable 
quality; I speak of the charms of person and of mind. It is 
an inherent quality; that is, its springs are within. Charm is 
always interesting, always potent. To cultivate it, as in the 
case of politeness and courtesy, you must have models. Note 
the persons who seem to you to possess charm, and try to dis¬ 
cover by careful observation and analysis wherein lies their 
charm. Its elusiveness will probably defeat you in discov¬ 
ering all its secret, yet if you can take away something of it 
you will have done well. 

HOW TO CULTIVATE SELF-RELIANCE. 

One of the first rules for the man who wishes to cultivate 
Self-Reliance is the rule given in Lesson Two of this work, viz: 
“Keep your mouth shut.” This does not mean merely com¬ 
pressing the lips; it means the action of setting the teeth to¬ 
gether, just as you would do in biting something. This braces 
the biting muscles and gives the face that set, square-jawed 
look which is so characteristic of the man of grim determina¬ 
tion— the man of strong will. 

This setting of the teeth is closely connected with the pug¬ 
nacious instinct. In prehistoric man his teeth were weapons 
of defense and attack, and with him the setting of his teeth 
together was the preliminary to attacking his enemy. Some¬ 
thing of this old fighting spirit or instinct still survives with 
us, when we set our teeth close and shut our mouth. We feel 
ready to do—the spirit of fight or attack is aroused. I still 
speak of attacking things “tooth and nail.” 

The second rule is, develop your instinct of Self-Assertion; 
concentrate on such words as Boldness, Courage, Defiance, 


198 


THE MASTER KEY 


Strong, Powerful, Resolute, Imperious. Try to imagine your¬ 
self as possessing these qualities. Five minutes’ drill per day 
in this way will remake your character. You will feel a thrill 
go through you as the repeating of, and the concentrating upon, 
these words arouses the powerful instinct of Self-Assertion. 
Try to carry something of this feeling into your daily life. 
Learn to look at people with a steady gaze—the gaze of quiet 
confidence. Always remember to employ tact when asserting 
yourself. 

The third rule is, never indulge in self-depreciation*—the 
“Pm no good” sort of feeling. It does you an immense amount 
of harm, both physically and mentally. Nothing tends quicker 
to lower your vitality, your stamina, than self-depreciation and 
self-condemnation. It is the worst enemy the will-power stu¬ 
dent has to fight, but it must be fought if any success is to be 
won. 

THE WILL IN ACTION. 

Whatever part you wish to play in life, you must act the 
part NOW. Suppose you join a Dramatic Society, and are 
called upon to take your part in a play. The book of the play 
is handed to you, and forthwith you commence to study your 
part. As you dwell upon the character you are to play you 
gain a conception of how he will act in certain situations. You 
study how your man will talk; how he will walk; his man¬ 
ners. You will carry this conception with you on the stage. 
If your conception is wrong the stage manager will draw your 
attention to it, forcibly, if need be. While the play is being 
rehearsed you will find yourself, even at your work, living in 
the character and times of the man you are to play. For the 
time being you are your part—your character. 

Now life is a stage on a larger scale; you must take a part— 
there is no escape. There is this difference, however, the num¬ 
ber of parts to choose from is almost infinite. What part will 
you play? 

What the writer is seeking to impress upon the student 
is the fact that whatever part you wish to play in life you must 
act the part. And first you must know definitely the character 
you wish to represent. It is no use saying: “I wish to play 

♦“Self-depreciation and self-condemnation is the rock upon which many 
a man and woman has been wrecked. Study Lesson Thirty-one, “Con¬ 
centration Applied To Health And Disease, “The Psychology Of Faith 
And Doubt.” 



EDUCATION OF THE WILL 


199 


the part of a wealthy merchant”; you must know what kind 
of merchant; his business. When you know this you have 
something to go on; you will then study the line of action 
necessary to reach the end you seek. You will employ the 
aid of books, of friends, strangers, experts; you will make 
use of everything and everybody to aid you to be your typical 
merchant; you must work and toil as this man worked, yet 
avoiding, as far as possible, the mistakes he made; you must 
practice his habits of self-denial, his industry, his hopefulness, 
his perseverance, and you must commence NOW. 

All that I said above in reference to the Dramatic Society 
applies to your part in life. You must dwell upon the char¬ 
acter you are to play; you must conceive how he will talk, act, 
and work. Life itself will be the stage manager and point out 
where you are wrong. It will teach you to avoid anything that 
offends in the character you are representing, for, fortunately, 
you are not compelled, as you are in the Dramatic world, to 
represent the follies and weaknesses of your part. Experience 
will teach you how to avoid these and how to copy only such 
qualities and characteristics as are worthy of being copied. 
And now let the student of success study how to act the part, 
and he shall find the great secret of success. 

AUTO-SUGGESTION. 

It is customary with certain people to dismiss, as unworthy 
of serious consideration, any reference to Auto-Suggestion. 
This is owing, partly, no doubt, to the influx of late years of 
a mass of so-called “Occult” literature by surface writers. 
Some absurd statements are made in many of these books, 
and this has naturally tended to disgust a number of people 
who feel that they cannot come in contact with these subjects 
or their teachers without becoming contaminated. 

A little reflection, however, will show you that there is not 
a man, woman or child but uses Auto-Suggestion in some form. 
Take the question of health. How often do you catch yourself 
saying or thinking, “I’m not well today—I’ll take it easy”; or, 
“Em out of sorts—my liver, I suppose” ? Such statements are 
forms of Auto-Suggestion , for the body tends to fall in line 
with the thought. 

To Auto-Suggestion (self-thought) must be ascribed many 
of the ills from which mankind suffers. It is the mainspring of 


200 


THE MASTER KEY 


man’s habits; it dominates his thoughts and actions; it can ruin 
him body and soul. For you are what you think; your constant 
thoughts make or mar you, for much of your thinking is really 
a talking mentally to yourself—telling yourself what you are, 
what you are going to do, what things you will not do, etc. All 
this is Auto-Suggestion; everybody is using it more or less 
unconsciously every day of their lives. 

Now Auto-Suggestion, when used consciously, can make 
you a different being, but mark—it must be fully meant. No 
amount of repetition of phrases such as “I am well,” “I am 
happy,” “I have every confidence in myself,” will do you much 
good unless you act the part and strive for it— believe it. Your 
mental attitude towards Auto-Suggestion must be one of true 
Faith and Belief. When you use Auto-Suggestion uncon¬ 
scious you always believe it and act upon it, and that is the 
reason why it often works such mischief in your life. If you 
believe in it consciously it will make a success of your life. 

Every man or woman, therefore, who desires to make some¬ 
thing of himself should see that he uses Auto-Suggestion con¬ 
sciously and only in the interest of his life as a whole. Keep 
repeating to yourself every day, “I shall succeed; I’m deter¬ 
mined to succeed.” Say it until it is a belief with you; a creed. 

Dean Farrar used to say of prayer: “You will have either 
to give prayer up or your sins.” In the same way you will have 
either to give up affirming as above, or the affirming will force 
you to seek the means that will lead you to success. 

THE ART OF INFLUENCING OTHERS. 

The Art of Influencing* others is of great importance to 
the student of Will Power, for it is one of the means he must 
employ on the road to success. 

The first thing that will engage your attention is the man¬ 
ner in which you will convey your suggestions; this, of neces¬ 
sity, will vary with the occasion. As a general rule, you can 
only convince others if you are convinced yourself. The 
writer is not speaking here of arguments; you may be con¬ 
vinced you are right when nevertheless you are wrong. It 
is the tone of conviction, the tone of quiet confidence that car¬ 
ries weight in influencing others. If your tone is hesitating, if 

*The student should also study Lesson Twenty-five “Personal Mag¬ 
netism Obtained by Concentration.” 



EDUCATION OF THE WILL 


201 


your language is badly chosen or ill-arranged, you cannot 
hope to influence others. It is essential also that you feel 
within yourself a sense of power while speaking, a feeling 
that you can influence the person to whom you are speaking. 
Once you gain this power you will find it an effective weapon 
in influencing others. 

You must also be on your guard, when seeking to influence 
a person, against using unconscious language, for this will 
reveal you. A slip in expression, an unconsidered word, will 
betray you to a keen observer more than all your well consid¬ 
ered phrases. It is for this reason that you should be careful 
of what you say and do when alone. If you wish to appear 
polished and refined when in society you must be polished and 
refined when alone. If you wish to talk correctly when in the 
world outside, you must talk correctly when in the privacy of 
your own home. If you wish to be self-reliant and controlled 
when engaged in your work, business or profession, you must 
be self-reliant and controlled when by yourself. If, then, you 
desire to influence others, the preparation must be done in pri¬ 
vate\ 

If you wish to get the thoughts of the person with whom 
you are speaking you should look steadily at his face, and at 
the same time keep perfectly still so as to receive any impres¬ 
sion possible. Every one tends to reveal his thoughts in this 
way, and that is why I advise students to gain control over 
their facial muscles. 

If you wish to induce emotions in others, you can do this 
by counterfeiting the expressions which are manifested in such 
emotions. Again, if it suits your purpose to let any one imag¬ 
ine they are influencing you, the same plan may be adopted. 
Thus while your face may express surprise, enthusiasm or in¬ 
terest you are conscious all the time that you have yourself well 
in hand. 

THE VALUE OF EXERCISE. 

A well-developed and active muscular system tends to main¬ 
tain a certain tone of the nervous system that favors an alert 
and confident habit of mind. 

Every student of Will Culture and Mind Training should 
see to it that he takes a certain amount of physical exercise 
each day, for health of the body is an important factor in these 


202 


THE MASTER KEY 


studies. Therefore I shall give here three exercises which can 
be thoroughly recommended—their daily practice, which only 
takes a few minutes, will do much to keep you in good trim. 

Exercise One. Stand erect with the arms hanging down by 
your side. Gradually withdraw the arms from the side, the arms 
and hands fully extended, and raise them in a circular sweep as 
high as they will go (drawing in a full breath while doing so) 
until the finger tips meet above your head. Separate the hands 
after a few seconds and gradually let them fall back to their first 
position by your side, expelling the breath gradually while doing 
so. Repeat the raising and falling of the arms ten times. 

Exercise Two. Stand erect, the arms stretched straight in 
front of you with the finger tips meeting. Throw the arms back¬ 
wards, gradually, as far as they will go, at the same time throwing 
the chest well forward and drawing in the abdomen. Bring back 
the arms, gradually, to first position. Repeat ten times. Remem¬ 
ber to inspire when throwing the arms backwards, and expel the 
breath when returning to first position. 

Exercise Three. Stand erect. Now bend down until your 
finger tips touch the floor (or as near the floor as possible ). Next 
clench your hands tight and draw them up to your chest slowly 
(as if raising a heavy weight ), straightening the body until erect. 
Keep the hands in this position (at chest) for a few seconds, then 
let them fall loosely by your side. Repeat ten times. Expel 
the breath when bending, and inspire when rising again. 


ADVICE ON DIET. 

Eat what agrees with you, and, as far as possible, stick to 
fixed meal hours. Note, it is not the quantity you eat that does 
you good, but the amount you digest. To secure perfect diges¬ 
tion masticate your food thoroughly. See that you get the 
taste of what you eat; you will do this if you masticate prop¬ 
erly. 

Mastication serves another useful purpose besides that of 
preparing the food for digestion; it informs you when you 
have had enough. You will soon note this if you masticate 
properly; you will probably find that you will not want to eat 
nearly so much as you are accustomed to eat; you will feel you 
have had enough to satisfy your needs. 


EDUCATION OF THE WILL 


203 


TO SUM UP. 

Eating right is a very simple matter, and consists of: 

First—Don’t eat until “good and hungry.” 

Second—Don’t eat when angry, worried, or when you can¬ 
not enjoy your food. 

Third—Chew all solid food until it swallows itself. 

Fourth—Get all taste out of liquid or mushy foods by suck¬ 
ing or sipping. 

Fifth—Stop eating when the appetite begins to say 
“enough.” 

Sixth—You will lose weight at first, even if you are thin 
to start with, but in a little time you will find your normal 
weight and stop. 

Seventh—Don’t think about the number of chews or sips, 
but only of the enjoyment of the taste. 

Eighth—Don’t imagine that meat is necessary to strength. 
No meat meals give better strength and endurance results. 

Ninth—Remember that a week, or two weeks, of careful 
attention to learning how to eat, as above, will put you in the 
habit of it so that you will not have to trouble yourself about 
it after a while. 

Tenth—Remember that dietetic righteousness means less 
expense and more solid enjoyment of the food; and, also, that 
it makes it easy to be righteous in other ways. 

These are ten good commandments of right eating, and un¬ 
less you respect them, and observe them, you are a dietetic 
sinner, and do not know what is good for you. 

WILL POWER IN BUSINESS. 

Cultivate decision—learn to think quickly and to act quickly. 
Decision gives you the power to say “No”; not the curt “No,” 
but the “No” with weight behind it, which always tells strongly 
in business. 

Cultivate manner and courtesy. Nothing tells so strongly 
in business as a frank, genial manner, but it must be natural. 
It must have its springs deep seated, or instinctively we know 
it as false. Especially be courteous to business men and women; 
they can often put things in your way and give you valuable 


204 


THE MASTER KEY 


hints, ideas and information. Discourtesy on your part will 
put a bar to all this. 

Cultivate repose of manner. The conjurer acts quickly 
without appearing to do so—imitate him. Repose of manner 
will enable you to get through a great deal of work with less 
strain. 

Have the road to success, in your particular business, clearly 
mapped out. Have a distinct aim and work for it. To this 
end you will specialize in your business; you will learn all you 
can about it from experts and technical and business journals; 
you will make use of everything to help you in your aim; you 
will be on the lookout for aid from your fellow men and from 
every quarter; you will constantly seek to do things better. 
Do not merely wish for things to come your way; take the 
necessary means to make them come—be determined that they 
shall come. Cultivate faith in your power to achieve things; 
like every other power, this power will grow with use, and as 
it grows it will increase your ability to do things. 

Do not be discouraged if success seems tardy; so long as 
you can measure some progress you need not be dispirited. 
Sometimes this progress may not be shown in your business 
in actual figures, but if you feel that you have made progress 
in business knowledge and in better ways of doing things you 
have every cause to hope. The man who is progressive as a 
man, who is mentally alert and possesses staying power is 
bound to win in the long run. This type of man wearies suc¬ 
cess with his persistency and makes it yield to him. 

The man who takes an interest in his business has the great¬ 
est chance of succeeding. Interest creates energy. On the 
other hand, the man who does not really care for his business, 
yet cannot get out of it, should make every endeavor to grow 
interest in it. He can make a study of it—often this reveals 
possibilities he has not dreamt of. 

The business man should look forward to his evenings— 
many business men make them the key to their day. If you 
know that when evening comes a pleasant time is before you, 
it greatly adds to your working power during the day. Plan, 
therefore, to make your evenings pleasant; there are many 
ways to do this; see to it that they are ways that will cause you 
no regrets. 

Never study business problems requiring pluck and enter¬ 
prise late at night unless you feel full of life and energy. 


205 


EDUCATION OF THE WILL 

Many a business man loses heart when he faces a business prob¬ 
lem at night. The reason of this is that both body and mind 
are generally fatigued then, and when this is so the mind always 
paints the future in dark colors. Everyone knows how different 
a business problem appears when we have slept well and en¬ 
joyed a good breakfast. We feel full of vitality, full of will¬ 
power, and we can ride over difficulties that at night appeared 
insurmountable. 

When you go to bed, go with the determination to have a 
good night’s rest. The power to sleep can be cultivated. Con¬ 
sider— what is it that in the day-time tends to make you 
drowsy? Answer— the monotonous; the dry, dreary and 
uninteresting. If you must think when you go to bed, think of 
things which do not interest you; think something monoto¬ 
nous or rhythmic in character— never think of anything inter¬ 
esting. 

Finally —never make a practice of hurrying over your 
meals. Time saved in this way is time lost, for you will have 
to meet the bill some day, with heavy interest added. 

WILL POWER IN STUDY. 

Be on your guard when you feel you are enthusiastic over 
any new study. Many a student uses up all his enthusiasm 
in the week or the first month; he has none left for afterwards, 
and so the study which at first seemed so fair and rosy is 
allowed to droop and die. The reason is this: If you touch 
one end of the scale of feeling you are bound to come to the 
other end. Remember that the negative of the emotion of 
Exhilaration is the emotion of Despondency. Cultivate, there¬ 
fore, balance and poise, in study as in other things, if you desire 
to make steady progress. 

Every student, especially if studying for an examination, 
should practice rigid economy with regard to the time at his 
disposal. The following hints will be found useful: 

First —Prepare a chart of your studies with the time you 
can give to each. Allot the most time to the subjects in which 
you are weakest. Note what part of the day you feel in the 
best mood for study and reserve that part for your most diffi¬ 
cult subjects. Never study a subject for any great length of 
time—one hour is ample—pass on to another subject after a 


206 


THE MASTER KEY 


slight interval of rest. Experiment until you find which period 
of rest you find the most serviceable. 

Second —When it is necessary to copy out rules or para¬ 
graphs from a text-book, underline these and leave them to be 
copied when you do not feel “up to the mark” for study. Never 
waste in copying the hours when you feel mentally alert; utilize 
these precious moments for your stiffest tasks. 

Third —Test your mood when you feel disinclined for study. 
It may be just a lazy fit, and if so will pass off if you settle 
down to work in earnest. Authors know that they must test 
these moods, for often their brightest ideas will come after 
they conquer the disinclination for work. 

Fourth —When you feel you cannot study, that is after thor¬ 
oughly testing the feeling, do not force yourself to study—you 
will simply waste your time if you do so. 

Fifth--Value your odd minutes—do not think them use¬ 
less. A recent writer declares that if a man will give one 
hour per day to any study for five years, he can make him¬ 
self an authority on the subject. 

Sixth —Do not attempt to grapple with a difficult point in 
your studies during the last few minutes of your allotted time. 
Try to leave your work with an appetite; that is, with a feeling 
of pleasure. In this way you will return to your studies with 
greater zest. 

For Summary of Lesson Twenty-two, see Page No. 207 . 

SUMMARY. 

In this Summary is indicated the essential parts of Chapter 
XXII, Chapter XXIII and Chapter XXIV. These Chapters 
contain Lessons which every student of Will-Culture and Mind 
Training should thoroughly grasp. 

Note.—That Chapter XXII, Lesson Twenty, and Chapter 
XXIII, Lesson Twenty-one, are mainly theoretical, descriptive 
or analytical; whereas Chapter XXIV, Lesson Twenty-two, is 
entirely practical. 

HABIT. 

Summary of Lesson Twenty. 

Nature of Habit. Remember that Habit is that tendency of 
the mind to repeat its processes with their characteristic 
movements. 


EDUCATION OF THE WILL 


207 


Fixed Habit. Note the outstanding features of Fixed Hab¬ 
its—Automatism and Facility. Remember that in acquir¬ 
ing habits of skill you are apt to use more muscles than 
are requisite. Analysis of the muscles required will save 
you much in time and labor. 

Habit Formation . Concentrate on the start of a good habit, 
and embrace the aid of good impulses to strengthen the 
start. In forming habits of skill see to it that the initial 
movements are correct in every detail. 

Bad Habits. Do not fight a bad habit—concentrate on its op¬ 
posite (Vice—Virtue). Do not dwell on your lapses— 
forget them. Note that minor bad habits are all performed 
unconsciously; to cure them, become conscious of them. 

Special. Make a list of your good habits and bad habits. Seek 
means to strengthen the former and to eradicate the latter. 

WILL CULTURE—MIND TRAINING. 

Summary of Lesson Twenty-one. 

Volition . A volition is always a conscious act; it seeks a defi¬ 
nite end; it is never satisfied until its end is reached. 
Alien ideas antagonistic to this end are not volitions; they 
have come unsought and are not identified with you. 

Emotions and Instincts. These are two of the principal fac¬ 
tors that influence Volition. Note the order of the events 
i l an emotional state; also the three classes of Emotions 
--the Perceptual, the Ideational and the Organic. Note 
that Instincts are independent of education and are distin¬ 
guished from reflex actions. The section on the Emotions 
and their correlate Instincts is very important. 

Desire and Motive. Note that the strength of a desire lies not 
in itself, but in the totality (or Universe) of your desires. 
Remember that a motive induces you to act, whereas a 
desire often ends in inaction. 

Suggestion . Seek to understand the part suggestion plays in 
your life. Note the things and persons that influence you 
and the ways in which they influence you; this will put you 
on your guard and strengthen your will-power. Note the 
power of a suggestion when in agreement with your con¬ 
victions. This should be noted by all who wish to treat 
a subject scientifically; convictions must be treated, and 
tested, impartially. 


208 


THE MASTER KEY 


EDUCATION OF THE WILL. 

Summary of Lesson Twenty-two. 

Types of Will. Read carefully this section in Lesson Twenty- 
one until you understand your type. Endeavor to culti¬ 
vate the Ideal type. 

Motives and Success. Analyze your motives, for this will re¬ 
veal their strength. When you have secured yourself 
against conflict of motives you add greatly to your chances 
of success. 

Emotions and Impulses. Learn how to check emotions, and 
how to simulate them. Note that impulses demand in¬ 
stant recognition, i. e., they must be gratified instantly, or 
checked instantly. If you encourage them they are sure 
to result in action. 

Qualities to Cultivate . Fight Indolence by testing your moods 
for work. Cultivate Hope by having faith in yourself. 
Cultivate Cheerfulness, for this will increase your energy. 
Practice the smile exercise, and note its effect on your 
moods. Cultivate Politeness and Courtesy from models, 
i. e. y study the people you meet who have these qualities. 

Self-Reliance. Test the value of the tight shut mouth. Culti¬ 
vate Self-Assertion, but remember to use it with tact. 
Never indulge in Self-Depreciation. 

Will in Action. Get a thorough grasp of this section. I ader- 
stand your part (aim) in life and play the part now. 

Auto-Suggestion. Remember that Auto-Suggestion is sed 
universally, but mostly unconsciously. To use it on- 
sciously, with faith in its powers, is to add enormously 
to your power of will. 

The Art of Influencing Others. We are all called upon to 
influence others, therefore all should learn the means of 
doing this. Note the importance of what you are when 
alone in the influence you will have on others. Also study 
Lesson Twenty-five on Personal Magnetism. 

Exercise. You should practice some form of physical exercise 
each day, for it tends to keep you in good health. Remem¬ 
ber that ill-health greatly lessens will power. 

Diet. Do not be a faddist in diet. Eat what agrees with you, 
but see that you masticate thoroughly what you eat. Re- 


EDUCATION OF THE WILL 


209 


member that thorough mastication is the best guard 
against over-indulgence in eating, especially meat. 

Special. As the sections on Will Power in Business, and in 
Study, are of special application and sufficiently condensed 
in themselves, I shall not summarize them. I know 
that the students to whom these sections specially appeal 
will carefully digest them, 


®lje JHaHtfr 2Cnj 

CHAPTER XXV. 

LESSON TWENTY-THREE. 

MEMORY. 

GOOD AND BAD MEMORIES. 

“I’ve an awful bad memory.” “I cannot remember any¬ 
thing” How often one has to listen to such expressions stated 
in perfect sincerity. It comes as a startling fact to such a per¬ 
son if you tell him that there is no such thing as an absolutely 
bad memory. Yet this is so. 

There is hardly a man or woman but possesses a good mem¬ 
ory for a certain class of facts. The woman who cannot re¬ 
member anything will keep you, if you are foolish enough, 
listening in your office for hours to a recital of her domestic 
woes and worries. A man of similar type will astonish you 
with a category of all the ills that beset a business man. Work¬ 
ing men with no memory are often walking encyclopedias of 
sporting details. Schoolboys who cannot learn their lessons can 
often tell you the names and characteristics of all the leading 
foot-ballers or base-ball players. 

The writer need not prolong such examples, for we are all 
familiar with them. It is interesting, however, to analyze this 
seeming paradox —people with a memory that remembers noth¬ 
ing, and yet are able to talk for hours on a subject in which 
they are interested. What is the explanation ? 

I have just given it: these people are interested in the sub¬ 
jects they talk about. But after all this is only a partial explan¬ 
ation. The fundamental reason is that, these people are con¬ 
stantly going over these matters in their minds. Repetition and 
Interest— there you have the explanation of the paradox. 

The lesson for you to take from the above is this: Put 
210 


MEMORY 


211 


down on paper the department in which your memory is good; 
that is, the class of facts you can remember with ease; next 
put down the departments in which you say you are weak. Let 
us call the first department Class A, and the others Class B. 
Put down on your paper the time you give each day to Class A, 
the frequency with which you draw upon its facts, either by 
going over them or telling them to others; state also your 
degree of interest. Now do the same with Class B and com¬ 
pare results. Is it any wonder Class B is defective? 

The fact is, we all have better memories than we think we 
have; further, we all act in some class of facts in harmony 
with the fundamental laws which regulate memory. The 
trouble is that we do this unconsciously; that is, in ignorance 
of these laws. It is the purpose of the writer to make these 
laws clear to you; their application will then rest with you. 

WHAT IS MEANT BY MEMORY? 

Memory has been defined as the power to recall prior expe¬ 
riences; this involves the theory of retention. But memory 
means more than retention and the power to recall an expe¬ 
rience, for the memory of things often comes to one unasked— 
you do not seek to recall them. It is better, therefore, to look 
at memory as both active and passive. In the former, recall 
is a conscious determinate act; in the latter, association tracts 
in the brain, under stimulation, bring without your asking or 
seeking, the past once more into consciousness. Memory is, 
therefore, seen to be to some extent dependent upon Will and 
to some extent independent of Will. 

Memory has two further aspects—the physical (bodily) and , 
the psychical (mental). On the physical side we have Reten¬ 
tion—the theory that “prior experiences produce residual dis¬ 
positions which determine subsequent experiences, and on the 
psychical side we have to consider the factors that aid Reten¬ 
tion and so enable us to bring back former experiences to 
mind. 

It is well for the student to understand that Memory is not 
a Faculty; that is, a distinct localization of brain area. Memory 
is really a complex of faculties; we have not a memory, but 
memories, as distinct as our several needs. In other words, 
there are as many memories as there are classes of things to 
remember. 


212 


THE MASTER KEY 


NATIVE RETENTIVENESS. 

Why is it that some people have much better memories than 
others? Training and varied interests partially explain these 
differences, but the principal reason is congenital. All are born 
with a certain capacity for retention, and, therefore, it is easier, 
much easier, for some people to retain what they see or hear, 
for instance, than it is for others. 

This Native Retentiveness,* so far as our present knowl¬ 
edge goes, cannot be improved by any training. We have no 
grounds for saying that this will always be so,t but there is no 
system of training at present known that can increase one's 
Native Retentiveness. It is well for students to recognize this. 
The system of memory-training that offers you a perfect mem¬ 
ory is offering you something unknown to psychologists; it is 
offering you something that is not in harmony with our present 
knowledge of psychology. 

All that you can do with your natural power of retention 
is to see that you use it to its full capacity. Your control over 
it is simply directive. You can train it, by proper methods, 
to its full capacity, but you can get no further; you cannot add 
to it, but you may diminish it by neglecting your health. Train¬ 
ing and good health are the only aids to securing the most 
man’s Native Retentiveness has to offer. 

HAS THE MIND PIGEON-HOLES? 

One of the theories that used to be common, in connection 
with memory, was that every idea had its special pigeon-hole, 
or store-house, in the mind. If you wanted to recall the word 
“Abracadabra” you must turn to pigeon-hole No. 242326, so 
to speak. Today certain people point to the fact that according 
to laboratory research there are three thousand millions to nine 
thousand millions of cells in the brain; if ideas are not stored 
in the pigeon-holes of the mind, then surely they are stored up 
in these millions of brain cells. 

Both theories are fallacious. Ideas are not stored away to 
be recalled at will; they have no existence except when before 
our consciousness. There are no such things as permanent 
ideas. 


♦That power of retention peculiar to every individual from birth. 
fSome psychologists are inclined to think that there is a possibility 
or probability that as you multiply associations you may thereby increase 
the plasticity of the neural (nerve) processes; the writer has, however, 
no knowledge that this is so. 



MEMORY 


213 


Every idea that enters the mind must travel along neural 
brain paths. The effect of this is to leave what is termed a 
disposition— the idea persists (not exists) in these neural traces; 
let these brain paths, or residual traces, be stimulated again and 
the idea will tend to come again into consciousness. 

You have no conscious knowledge of Retention; you only 
infer that there is such a thing because of the fact that you do 
recall past experiences. By Retention, therefore, you simply 
mean the possibility or probability of your being able to recall 
facts. 

IS IT POSSIBLE TO FORGET? 

It used to be held that it was impossible to forget anything 
you had once experienced. Within certain limits this may be 
true, but Cerebral Physiology is now able to prove that you can 
forget an experience, and forget it completely, i. e., it is impos¬ 
sible for you ever to recall it again. 

Physiologists are able to prove that the hemispheres of the 
brain have zones, allocations, or localizations commanding defi¬ 
nite movements or responses. Should these zones be injured 
in any way, the movements dependent on that particular brain 
area will be impaired —perhaps rendered impossible. 

Thus, certain of these zones control sight, others hearing, 
taste, speech, writing, trunk movements, head and eye move¬ 
ments (conjoint), thigh movements, knee movements, ankle 
movements, toe movements. Now if any of the nerves con¬ 
nected with these zones are destroyed, their respective move¬ 
ments are impossible. Thus, if the nerves in the sight zone 
are destroyed sight is impossible, or if only some of them are 
destroyed your power to remember words from their visual 
presentation may be destroyed. Similarly, lesion of other nerves 
will destroy your power to speak, to write, to move your arm, 
leg, toes, etc. 

You will see now how it is, since memory is dependent on 
neural processes, that it is possible to forget. . Further, it will 
be apparent to you that memory is not a distinct faculty, but 
that you have as many types of memories as you have different 
senses for acquiring knowledge. 

Students are warned not to confound the (( localization of 
brain-functions”* with the absurdities of Phrenology. Phre- 

*Those areas, or parts of the brain, which control the senses, and 
various bodily movements, as above. 




214 


THE MASTER KEY 


nologists map out the brain into an aggregation of organs 
corresponding to Concentrativeness, Acquisitiveness, Language, 
Wit, etc.; all these are complexes, and depend upon the co¬ 
operation of a vast number of fundamental processes. 


MEMORY IN RELATION TO EFFICIENCY. 

It is a common fallacy to suppose that if you had a mem¬ 
ory that would retain all you see or hear you could become a 
genius, or something akin to that. But this is a mistake. Some 
of the most extraordinary memories have been possessed by 
idiots, or by people of very slight intelligence. Some idiots 
have a wonderful memory for words—words totally unrelated; 
on the other hand, men of the highest intelligence, tested with 
the same list of words, have proved utter failures, as far as re¬ 
tention is concerned. 

Some writers go so far as to say that instead of an extraor¬ 
dinary memory being a boon it may be a hindrance. The mass 
of material at its command tends to confusion of thought and 
renders a critical survey practically hopeless. Further, people 
who can remember almost everything they read are very often 
unable to draw conclusions from their reading. 

It has been proved that men of very poor elementary, or 
congenital memory, may yet be a mass of erudition. Some 
of our greatest scientists and literary men cut very poor figures 
when subjected to so-called memory tests. You, as a student, 
must never forget that your mind is a complex and also a unity. 
Where you may appear to be weak in one faculty you may be 
strong in another; it is the conjunction or working together 
of the weak and the strong “ faculties” that make for mental 
efficiency. Hence, though your congenital memory may be 
weak, you may still be able to do splendid work through strong 
reasoning and critical powers. 

Experiments go to prove that mental efficiency depends not 
so much on our ability to remember everything as on our ability 
to see essentials and to cast the unessentials to one side. This 
is dealt with more fully under the section, “The Art of For¬ 
getting/' in Lesson Twenty-three. 

Students whose congenital memory is poor should not be 
discouraged; they are not barred from the heights in Litera¬ 
ture, Art, or Science; given a keen interest in any subject, 


MEMORY 


215 


such a student may yet excel the person whose elementary mem¬ 
ory is extraordinary. 

MENTAL ATTITUDE. 

Mental Attitude is one of the most important sections in 
all memory training, and yet it is the one most commonly neg¬ 
lected. It is of fundamental importance to every memory stu¬ 
dent, and once it is grasped a great stride towards “learning” 
will have been effected . 

It is of the utmost importance in learning “by heart” to 
have an objective. Ask yourself why you wish to learn any 
particular thing; on your answer will depend to a very great 
extent the measure of your success in learning. Take the case 
of the schoolboy, who says, “I cannot learn Euclid; it’s a lot 
of bosh.” Now is he likely to learn when his attitude to 
Euclid is such? 

Such considerations prove that in learning you must see 
a reason why you should learn; you must see utility and also 
further fields of application to which your learning can be 
extended. Once you see this clearly your interest is aroused, 
and then acquisition is easy. 

In almost every case your interest in the subject will save 
you. If you only care enough for results you will be almost 
certain to attain them. 

It has been found, experimentally, that where a student has 
doubted his ability to learn a list of meaningless syllables the 
number of repetitions necessary to learn the list are much 
greater than where the same student receives a list which he 
thinks within his powers. 

Students should be careful never to doubt their ability to 
learn a particular subject; in so far as you doubt your powers, 
so will you limit them. Never say “I cannot learn this”; say 
rather, “I can learn this. I will never rest until I master this 
subject; Fm determined to master it.” 

The Will Power and Faith you put into your learning will 
determine, to a great extent, your success. Keep your inten¬ 
tion constantly reinforced by the “I will masteF } attitude, and 
you will help your memory enormously. 

It is the negative attitude which plays havoc with thousands 
of students. Logic, Psychology, Metaphysics —these are called 
difficult subjects, hence students rarely do well in them. 


216 


THE MASTER KEY 


Difficulty is ever present with them in studying these sub¬ 
jects, hence their mental powers are never really given a 
chance. 

Try to look forward to your tasks with joy and eagerness. 
Do not allow any negative thoughts to interfere with the learn¬ 
ing process by having “faith in yourself’ and you will soon 
be able to trace satisfactory results. 

THE INFLUENCE OF IMAGINATION ON MEMORY. 

Imagination plays an important role in memory. Much of 
what you think you remember is nothing but the work of imagi¬ 
nation. You can test this very simply. 

After witnessing any event, write down as soon after the 
event as possible a description of it, with as much detail as you 
can remember. Put your description away, and a week after 
write another description of the event, giving all the details you 
can, as in your first description. Compare now the two ac¬ 
counts and you will find that your second description will omit 
either many of the details of the first or it will describe details 
which had no part in the event. 

A few trials, as above, will convince you that you really 
only remember the outstanding or striking features of an event 
—the omissions will all be supplied by the imagination. It is 
this that makes the memory of witnesses so unreliable; much 
of what they say they saw or heard they never saw or heard; 
it is simply the work of their imagination. 

Schoolmasters and teachers are familiar with this phenom¬ 
enon. A story is read out to the children and they are told to 
write down what they remember of it in their own words. 
When the papers are collected they are often a revelation to 
the schoolmaster; the main features of the story may be given, 
but along with them will be details entirely foreign to the story. 
The same thing is illustrated in dramatic psychological experi¬ 
ments (see section on Attention, etc.). 

Students who wish to keep a record of anything they have 
seen or heard should see to it that such records be made at once 
—even the lapse of a few hours may render the record untrust¬ 
worthy. Whenever an event or experience is revived in mem¬ 
ory it will be found that something has been lost or added. 
The reason is, whenever you revive a memory image it comes 


MEMORY 


217 


back to you with new associations, and these either add to, or 
take away from, the original experience. 

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE RETENTION. 

How is it that we remember some things with ease—with¬ 
out any effort at all, in fact? It must be that certain things, 
by their very nature, have a direct influence on retention; i. e., 
our native retentiveness is impressed by these things in a way 
that tends to make recall almost certain, or at all events, ex¬ 
tremely probable. 

It has been found that the chief factors which influence 
retention are— 

First —Emotional Factors, such as Pleasant Experiences, 
Painful Experiences, Terrifying Experiences, Ridicule. 

Second —Vividness and Striking Contrasts. 

Third —Recency, or freshness of the impression. 

Fourth —Degree of Attention. 

Fifth —Things with many associates. 

Sixth —Rhythm. 

Seventh —Health. 

Factors First, Second and Fourth illustrate the importance 
of a well-formed impression as the basis of a rational memory. 

Thus, Painful and Terrifying Experiences create a powerful 
impression which time seems powerless to eradicate, especially 
the latter experiences. Pleasant Experiences and Ridicule tend 
to persist by the associations which cling around them. Vivid¬ 
ness and Striking Contrasts tend to persist by the force of the 
impression they make upon the mind. Recency influences Re¬ 
tention simply because it is new to the mind; it does not tend to 
persist unless it falls under some of the other heads. 

The degree of Attention is an important factor in retention. 
The better our attention the better are our chances of remem¬ 
bering. Things with many associates, such as holidays, wed¬ 
dings, social events, tend to persist because of their complexity, 
and because any one of the associates may call up the others. 
Rhythm is an important aid to retention. Its effect is strongly 
marked in poetry and music. Children are strongly influenced 
by it. 

Health is an important factor in retention. Since memory 
has its physiological expression in the power of the organism 


218 


THE MASTER KEY 


to preserve traces of received impressions, it is self-evident that 
the fresher and more energetic the general vital process the 
better may things be learned; that is, the sensuous percepts will 
leave behind more permanent and deeper traces. 

ASSOCIATION OF IDEAS. 

The subject of Association is of fundamental importance; 
the student must, therefore, try to understand what is meant 
by Association of Ideas. 

If you analyze any idea that comes into your mind you will 
find it hardly ever comes alone; it is generally attended by its 
“associates” For instance, if the word holiday comes into 
your mind you do not think of it to the exclusion of other 
thoughts—you think of some holiday, what you did, the people 
you met, what they did, etc. The reason of this is because all 
your thoughts are connected with other thoughts forming part 
of prior experiences. 

Association is not a psychical process; a psychical process 
is a part of your experience which exists only while it is being 
experienced, but associations persist even when you are uncon¬ 
scious of them, for they are simply “an acquired connection 
of dispositions” which are formed in conscious experience. 
Thus, if you met Mr. Blackstone today for the first time, and 
meet him again a week after, and then recognize him; that is, 
remember having met him before, it is evident that some part 
of your past experience in meeting Mr. Blackstone has per¬ 
sisted— this persistency is termed an acquired disposition. 

Now, when you recognize Mr. Blackstone you do not say 
to yourself, “that Mr. Blackstone,” or if you have forgotten 
his name, “that is a gentleman whom I have met before.” The 
first thing that presents itself to you is the simple recognition, 
and then comes with this knowledge some incidents (time, 
place, etc.) which accompanied your former experience of 
meeting Mr. Blackstone. 

Analyze any “recognition” or “recall” and you will gener¬ 
ally find clustered round it associates of some kind. 

THE FACTORS WHICH REGULATE ASSOCIATION. 

The ways in which Associations are formed are principally 
by Similarity and Contiguity; next comes Unity and Interest, 
and Repetition. 


MEMORY 


219 

Similarity. Things which are similar, by which is really 
meant partially identical, tend to persist together, so that to 
think of one is to think of the other. 

Contiguity. Things that have been experienced together 
tend to persist together; to think of the one experience is to 
connect it with the accompanying experience. In contiguity 
we have also the presentation of experiences; that is, their 
°, r . . T . he tenden cy is for presentation to be reproduced in 
their original order, but it has also been found that Associations 
have a backward as well as a forward tendency, for if you 
learn anything by heart it then takes fewer repetitions to learn 
backwards. 

Unity and Interest. Where there is unity of sense and in¬ 
terest, associations are numerous—unconnected words have no 
unity, hence they are difficult to remember. Interest is closely 
connected with feeling, and feeling with emotion; hence asso¬ 
ciations are very numerous where our interest is keen, our feel¬ 
ing pleasant or painful, and our emotions strongly stirred. 

Repetition. Associations are firmly established according 
to the number of times they are repeated or thought of in mind 
The writer has dealt with this fully under “The Effect of Repe- 
tition” 

THE NATURE OF RECALL. 

It used to be held by some Psychologists that ideas cannot 
come into consciousness unless accompanied by their habitual 
associates. This is not true, and it is here that most memory 
systems go astray, for ideas will flash into the mind of them¬ 
selves without any associates. You can easily verify this for 
yourself. If you try an experiment such as the letter experi¬ 
ment (see section under “Aids to Remembering”) you will find 
that sometimes it is not the associate fixed upon that recalls the 
fact that you must post a letter—it will suddenly come into 
your mind in the most unlikely place, without any associates 
that analysis can trace. This is called Spontaneous Revival . It 
is Spontaneous Revival that constitutes Worry—the worrying 
idea keeps coming into the mind in all places and at all times. 

Frequency and Recency are the great determinates of recall, 
yet sometimes they miss fire, or seem to go astray, for ideas 
sometimes part company ( Divergent Revival) with their ha¬ 
bitual associates and come into consciousness with strange asso¬ 
ciates. Highly emotional states are largely responsible for this. 


220 


THE MASTER KEY 


One cannot think the same when depressed as when they are 
filled with joyous, happy feelings. There are three ways in 
which ideas are principally revived: first, by Explicit Revival; 
second, by Explicit Reinstatement; third, by Implicit Revival. 

In Explicit Revival ideas come in the form of mental 
images, and cause one to experience similar sensations to their 
original presentation; one lives the past over again. . In 
Explicit Reinstatement ideas come to you with their original 
motor associations; you speak the words, go through appro¬ 
priate gestures, walk about, etc. In Implicit Revival you recall 
the past indistinctly; you fail to remember many of the details 
which accompanied the former experience; there is always a 
“fringe” which defies your efforts to pierce. 

Implicit Revival plays a great part in our experience; it 
forms the greater part of all our recalling—it brings the past 
back to us in a more or less shadowy form, and bids us call 
upon our imagination to fill the gaps that are missing. 

HOW TO RECALL A FACT. 

Now that the student has learned something of the. nature 
of recall, he can understand better the modus operandi in re¬ 
calling a fact to his memory. 

In trying to recall a fact, the first thing you must do is to 
pay a visit to its associates. The following is an example:. 

Recalling a person's name. The general rule for recalling 
a person’s name is, think of as many things as you can asso¬ 
ciated or connected with the person. Thus you will think of 
his appearance, dress, walk, where he lives, his occupation, his 
friends. If these fail to bring his name to memory, you will 
think of where you saw him last, what he was doing, what 
he said, and so on. You thus go over everything connected 
with the man in the hope that some of the associates will bring 
his name to mind. 

In some cases, when you are trying to recall a person’s 
name, you remember that it begins with a certain letter.* In 

*It has been proved experimentally that the initial and final letters are 
the dominating factors in recognition. The bearing of this on recall is, 
therefore, manifest. Further, in the case of names of people and places, 
the initial letter being always a capital is thereby given a prominence 
which serves to impress it upon the mind. A common practice results 
from this. Many people often speak or think of Mr. Brown (to quote 
a specific case) as Mr. B, or simply B. Hence, when they forget his 
name, and try to recall it, almost invariably the initial of the name comes 
first to their mind, and they proceed from this to form associates. 



MEMORY 


221 


this case it is usual to associate this letter with the other let¬ 
ters of the alphabet. Thus, supposing you were sure that your 
friend’s name began with the letter B (the name to be recalled 
being “Beattie”) you would associate B with the vowels and 
consonants in alphabetical order, as Bac, Bad, Bag; Bee, Bed, 
Beg, and so on, until, possibly, when you commenced the com¬ 
bination of B and T with the various vowels the B and the T 
would send the name flashing into your mind. Sometimes 
while you are busy associating the initial letter with other let¬ 
ters, suggestions of other words will appear. Thus, in trying 
to remember the word “Beattie” you will suddenly say: “The 
name I want has something to do with striking” Then after 
a while the word “beating” suggests itself, and almost imme¬ 
diately as you repeat it, the name “Beattie” will stand out clear. 

In trying to remember the name of an author many people 
find it helpful, where they know the title of one of his works, 
to try to picture what the book is like, how it is bound and 
lettered, its price, the nature of its contents, where they saw it 
last. In this way some association with the author’s name is 
often found. 

If the above methods fail, it is best to leave the matter for 
a time and go on with some other work. Many people adopt 
this plan with success; they find that spontaneous revival comes 
to their aid, and in the midst of totally unrelated ideas and 
circumstances the man’s name flashes into consciousness. 

In recalling facts connected with study, students are ad¬ 
vised not to worry over the unremembered facts. To think and 
think of facts in this way in a vain attempt to bring them back 
to memory is to set up wrong associations which will certainly 
cause you trouble on some future occasion. It is much better 
to go over the ground again than to indulge in guesses. Re¬ 
view your work, strengthen the associates of the facts you wish 
to remember, and you will get much better results. 

Many people cultivate “trust” in memory with remarkable 
success. They say to themselves, “Now I shall remember that 
next time I want it,” and they find that this trusting of the 
memory yields excellent results. 

It is well, too, in trying to recall, to think of any motor 
associations which accompanied the facts you wish to bring to 
mind. Some people find that if they walk about or talk aloud 
that associates are aroused which help them to recall the facts 
desired. 


222 


THE MASTER KEY 


People who belong to the auditory type of memory (see next 
section) find it a distinct help in recalling to close their eyes; 
the brain is then shut off from visual impressions and auditory 
images have a better chance of coming back to consciousness. 
Visuals sometimes adopt the same plan. 

Students should experiment and find which method of recall 
is most natural to them, and stick to that method in future. 
The next section will help to that end. 

MENTAL IMAGERY. 

In all our remembering or recalling, we mostly think in 
imagery. If you begin to think of a Horse, you see it in mind; 
your mental ear hears the noise it makes as it gallops along, 
and your mental eye sees it galloping; you perhaps imagine, 
also, touching it at the close of its gallop—all this you image 
in mind. Similarly you associate lightning with the sight of the 
flash, its swiftness and the noise of the thunder; but you never 
think of it in terms of touch, smell or taste. Now it has been 
found that all of us have our own peculiar method, or type, 
as it is generally called, of imaging in mind, and in trying to 
remember we principally employ one type to bring into con¬ 
sciousness that which we seek to recall. 

There are three main types of imagery—the Visual type, 
the Auditory type, and the Motor, or Motile type. The Gusta¬ 
tory, the Olfactory, and the Tactile types are less used, but 
nevertheless play their part in influencing recall. The Visual 
type has a good memory for form and color, the Auditory for 
sounds, the Motile for movement of every kind, the Gustatory 
for the taste of anything, the Tactile for the sensations of 
touch, and the Olfactory f for smells of all kinds. 

This subject of mental imagery is of the greatest import¬ 
ance in the cultivation of memory, for it tells you which meth¬ 
ods, according to your type of imagery, are the best to employ 
in anything which you wish to learn—to make your own. 

People with strong visualization, in recalling anything, al¬ 
ways. see it. If it is something they have read they can see 
in mind the letters and word s, their appearance, the look of 

fWith some people the sense of smell has a strong associative power 
and feeling-tone. A particular scent not only brings back to these people 
scenes and incidents in the past, but also the emotional elements which 
accompanied these. 




MEMORY 


223 


the page, etc. The Auditory type remember by sound; all the 
time they are reading their mental ear is hearing the sound of 
each word, and it reproduces these when they seek to remember 
what they have read. The Motor type remember by move¬ 
ment.* In drawing they follow the movement of the pencil; 
in silent reading they are inclined to move their lips and even 
to whisper words. In reading aloud they are apt to gesticulate, 
to sway their body, and to pose into various attitudes. 

It must not be imagined that we are all divided into these 
distinct types in the sense that we use one type, and one only. 
This is erroneous; the generality of people use a complex of 
all these types in remembering, but the fact remains that in 
every person one of these types predominates, and therefore it 
is important to know which type plays the greatest part in our 
life. 

HOW TO KNOW WHICH TYPE OF IMAGERY PRE¬ 
DOMINATES. 

Apart from the special apparatus of the psychological labo¬ 
ratory, it is not easy to determine, with any preciseness, the 
type of imagery predominating in an individual. There are 
several experiments, however, which give what may be termed 
a good idea of each type of imagery. 

EXPERIMENT NO. ONE. 

On the next page are three lists of words marked respect¬ 
ively A, B, C. Read list A aloud, three times, at a fixed rate 
and then put it to one side. Take now a sheet of paper and 
mark it A, and write down as many words as you can remem¬ 
ber. Next, read list B silently, with your mouth closed and lips 
compressed to avoid any movement. Read three times and 
then write down what you remember, marking your list B. 
Now get a friend to write down a list of twelve words, as in 
list C, and let him read these over to you three times (you 
yourself must not have seen the list; the words must be differ¬ 
ent from those in list C, which is merely an example), and 

*The Motor Type remembers written words, and drawings (made by 
themselves) by the memory of the sensations involved in writing and 
drawing. Motor-memory forms a large part in games like Golf, Bil¬ 
liards, Tennis, Cricket, etc.; also in playing musical instruments. 



224 


THE MASTER KEY 


then write down what you remember, marking your list C . 
Note, in recalling the words of each list you are not to strive 
for a long time trying to reproduce the words; you should not 
take more than a minute or two. 


List A. 

List B. 

List C. 

Coat 

Girl 

Poker 

Song 

Fluty 

Shrill 

Race 

Fight 

Circle 

Sour 

Perfume 

Putrid 

Rough 

Hot 

Uneven 

Noxious 

Sweet 

Delicious 

Shop 

Landscape 

Zigzag 

Salt 

Shriek 

Child 

Shrill 

Lightning-Flash 

Smooth 

Cold 

Bitter 

Drum 

Running 

Lukewarm 

Taste 

Smell 

Aroma 

Stench 


Now compare your lists and see which list gives the best 
results in recalling. If A gives the best results you are probably 
of the Motor Type; if B, you are probably of the Visual Type; 
if C, you are probably of the Auditory Type. 

Note: It is important to note the bearing that Immediate and 
Primary Memory may have on your results in recalling the words 
in the above lists. See section on “Time-Rate in Reading, and 
its effect upon Memory.” 

EXPERIMENT NO. TWO. 

Practice the above methods in learning poetry. Take verses 
of equal length and equal difficulty. Read one verse aloud, 
another silently, with the lips compressed, and the third get a 
friend to choose and read aloud to you. See which method 
enables you to recall the best by writing out as much of each 
verse as you can remember after three readings. Continue 
experimenting as above until it is fairly clear which method 
gives you the best results. 

EXPERIMENT NO. THREE. 

Go and watch some event, such as a football match or a 
baseball game, a race, a play; or look at a landscape, a street 




MEMORY 


225 


scene, a crowd. Write a description of any of these sights and 
then carefully analyze them; note which things impressed you 
most; that is, things seen, or heard, or movement of any kind. 
Re-write the scene a week after and note which class of facts 
you recall best. 

Note re Visual Memory. First, one of the best tests of 
visual memory is as follows: <c Try to spell long words back¬ 
wards If your visualization is strong, you will be able to see 
the word standing out clear before your mind’s eye, hence, to 
read* it backwards should not be difficult. 

Second, visuals have strong powers of local memory. Thus, 
if you look at a public clock and note the time, afterwards 
when you recall the time you passed the clock, the image of the 
clock will stand out clear, marking the time. 

MISTAKES COMMON TO THE VARIOUS TYPES OF 
IMAGERY. 

First, if your Memory is Visual you are liable to make the 
following mistakes: 

(a) To confuse letters which are much alike in appearance. 

(b) To mistake words which appear alike, but sound dif¬ 

ferent. 

(c) To grasp the appearance of words as wholes, thus 

overlooking errors in spelling. 

Second, if your Memory is Auditory you will make the op¬ 
posite mistake to that made by visuals under (b). You will 
also be liable to make more errors in consonants than in vowels. 

Third, if your Memory is Motor you are liable (a) to con¬ 
fuse letters articulated alike, such as b-p, t-d, ch-j, f-v; (b) to 
speak while learning or thinking. 

Note what errors you are liable to make in reading or in 
writing and see which head they fall under. This will help 
you to decide as to your type of Imagery. 

Note. —Students are warned not to decide as to their type 
of Imagery after making only one of the tests in this section. 
They should decide only after a thorough trial of all the tests. 

THE INFLUENCE OF REPETITION. 

Repetition is of fundamental importance in memory. 
Viewed genetically, it falls under the law of habit. Just as 


♦That is, the letters separately. 



226 


THE MASTER KEY 


the oftener we do a thing the easier does its performance tend 
to become, so by frequent repetition in learning anything, the 
easier is the tendency to retain it. 

If we view Repetition analytically, we find that both physi¬ 
cal and psychical processes not only tend to become easier to 
do, or remember, by frequent repetition, but they entail a less 
expenditure of nervous energy, and conscious force. 

The value of Repetition is greater in subjects that lack inter¬ 
est to us; where there is unity of interest ideas tend to persist 
better, and, consequently, repetition is not needed so much. 

The student can economize in Repetition. If this student 
is careful to give his first repetition the full force of attention, 
paying strict heed to every detail required or involved, he will 
greatly aid the repetitions following. Students should, there¬ 
fore, pay great attention to the first repetition and see that 
they put concentrative, conscious force into it, and not repeat 
in parrot fashion. Repetition without conscious attention has 
little reproductive value. 

Note. The first reading in the learning process is more im¬ 
portant than any single subsequent reading. It is important to 
note, also, that concentrated attention during the learning process 
reduces the number of repetitions necessary for immediate repro¬ 
duction. r 

Repetition is made much more effective by the way you 
divide it up or distribute it. The more extended the distribu¬ 
tion of repetitions, the easier is it to learn, and the better able 
you are to reproduce what you have learned. Thus, experi¬ 
ment has proved that better results are obtained by spreading 
the repetitions over a long period than over a short period. 
Thus supposing you have twenty-four repetitions; if you divide 
this into eight repetitions for three days, four repetitions for 
six days, or two repetitions for twelve days, the last division 
will give the best results. The reason of this is that the older 
associations are more strengthened by repetition than those of 
recent date. There is also less fatigue, with fewer repetitions. 

Students should note the above; it illustrates in a remark¬ 
able way the value of odd minutes—the time which they often 
think is of no account. Students of languages will get excel¬ 
lent results if they arrange their vocabulary learning on this 
plan. Students reading for examinations will see the necessity 
for constant revision. Daily revision will give better results 


MEMORY 


227 


than weekly, weekly than fortnightly, fortnightly than monthly. 
Notes intended for revision should be as precise as possible so 
that a whole book can be subjected to revision in a day or so. 
The side notes in good text-books are models in this respect. 

RATIONAL LEARNING AND ITS SUBEQUENT EFFECT 
ON RE-LEARNING. 

If you have once really learned anything, say a poem, a por¬ 
tion of a play, a formula, etc., you have done something which 
will never be obliterated unless accident or illness intervene. 

“It has been observed that, even twenty-two years after a 
piece of poetry has been learned, a saving of seven per cent 
may be effected.” That is to say, it will be easier for you to re¬ 
learn this piece of poetry than it will be to learn a poem new 
to you. 

You should test the above by experimenting on a poem 
learned to repeat during your youth; you will find that even 
where it seems to have entirely faded away, it will require very 
little effort to make it yours once more. This should prove to 
you the value of rational learning over “stuffing”* the mind. 
Once make a thing your own by thoroughly understanding it 
and it only requires an occasional “touching up” to make it a 
permanent possession. 

TIME-RATE IN READING AND ITS EFFECT ON 
MEMORY 

The rate at which you read has an important bearing on 
your power to reproduce what you have read. Experimental 
data is not sufficiently advanced to enable psychologists to 
speak with precision on the relation of time-rate to the rate of 
forgetting, but it is fairly well established that fast readers are 
the best immediate reproducers. The reason seems to be in 
the fact that in fast reading the mind is pinned to its subject 
and not drawn aside by irrelevant thoughts. 


*Note. —There are two kinds of stuffing—bad and good. Bad stuffing 
of the mind ignores, the laws of memory; the Ibad stuffer is generally 
ignorant that he is ignoring these laws. Good learning works in har¬ 
mony with the laws of memory; it recognizes that knowledge is some¬ 
times required for an immediate end, or special need. The lawyer stuffs 
when he reads up for a case. The politician, public-speaker, or lecturer 
bulges his memory for a special occasion. The knowledge these people 
acquire is useful, perhaps, solely for their special object. Afterwards 
they may never need it, and hence are content to let it fade from memory. 



228 


THE MASTER KEY 


Much, of course, depends on the type of mind. Many 
scientific men and literary men who are accustomed to weigh 
well what they read, are slow readers. On the other hand, 
men of quick understanding and effective perception are all 
fast readers. 

Note: In connection with the above, students should dis¬ 
tinguish between Immediate Memory and Primary Memory. If 
a passage is read out to you, and you are asked to write it out 
at once, you will be using Immediate Memory. If you are 
required to write out the passage some hours after, you will be 
using Primary Memory. Some people have a strong Immediate 
Memory, but a weak Primary Memory, and vice versa. 

Students are warned that there is no relation between the 
quick grasp of a subject and mental efficiency. A quick grasp 
is too often associated with a tendency to forget as quickly. 
Hastily learned, hastily forgotten is common to many minds, 
especially the type that stuffs itself for examination work. 

This fact should not be taken as a warning against fast 
reading. Students should cultivate reading as fast as they 
can with due regard to pronunciation, and an appreciation of 
the sense of what they are reading. To guard against the 
proneness to forget after a time which so often accompanies 
fast reading, students should make permanent their reading by 
frequent repetition, and by making notes of the essential points 
in everything they read. 

Business men and professional men should cultivate fast 
reading and a quick grasp of the matter read. It is often of 
vital importance to apprehend quickly; in many situations in 
life it marks the turning point in a man’s career, for decision 
cannot always wait on convenience. Cultivate, then, the type 
of mind that says in a quick, decisive tone: “What does that 
mean?” “Do I understand that?” “Is that clear to me ?”— 
You will find it a friend in need in many a trying situation. 

THE RATE OF FORGETTING. 

The Rate of Forgetting has been the subject of much 
experiment by a student of a certain memory teacher. He ex¬ 
perimented with k set of meaningless syllables, and he found 
that after having learned them sufficiently to repeat them by 
the end of an hour he had forgotten two-thirds, and at the 
end of a month he could only repeat one-fifth of his list. Other 


MEMORY 229 

experimenters on the same lines have found much the same 
results. 

While the above experiments are interesting, they cannot 
be accepted as establishing a precise rule for all forgetting; all 
that they seem to prove is that the rate of forgetting is at first 
very rapid, gradually decreasing until a rate is reached which 
appears to be stable, i. e., the further loss is insignificant. 

The experiments seem to prove the necessity for constant 
revision until associations are thoroughly established, when the 
periods of revision can then be extended. 

Students should note that the first few minutes, then the 
first few hours following the learning process, show the most 
rapid loss of memory. If you attend a lecture, or have just 
received a music lesson, or any other form of instruction, and 
wish to write down any important points to remember, you 
should make your notes at the earliest opportunity. 

THE DECAY OF MEMORY. 

Since memory has been proved to have a physiological basis 
it is evident that Decay of Memory must be looked for as you 
grow older, and the organism wastes away or deteriorates. 

Note: Generally speaking, there is no sign of decrease in 
memory power before 50 years of age. After this, the decrease 
is very gradual, right onwards to extreme old age. Students 
should note that even in old age the decrease in memory power 
can be controlled to a great extent by systematic exercise of the 
memory. 

It is a significant fact in memory decay that the things 
which give the most trouble to learn are those that go quickest 
from memory. Now the hardest things to learn and to recall 
are proper names and nouns generally; they give one the most 
trouble to acquire and they are the first words you forget 
when your memory begins to decay. You remember verbs, 
adjectives and pronouns much longer than you remember the 
names of persons and things. 

The reason of this lies in the fact that you can image 
things, but not their qualities. In thinking of persons and 
things you think in mental imagery; in thinking of the qualities 
of persons and things you must employ language, and in so 
doing you of necessity are much more complex, for to describe 
a thing requires the use of a number of words, hence associa- 


230 


THE MASTER KEY 


tions are stronger and the impressions made on the neural brain- 
paths are more numerous and deeper. 

Students should, therefore, pay special attention to names 
in learning; they should try to create a deep impression and 
practice constant revision until the names are firmly fixed in 
memory. 

Note: Students who find a difficulty in remembering the 
names of persons will find the following helpful. Make it a 
practice, whenever you call up in mind the face and general 
appearance of a person, always to associate the name of the person 
with the mental image. If you make this a constant practice, you 
will find that the difficulty of remembering a person’s name will 
be greatly diminished. Remember that the mental image is easier 
to recall than the name; hence in recalling, give emphasis to the 
name. 


THE ART OF FORGETTING. 

The Paradox Of Memory. 

Facility of Forgetting, and of driving out one train of ideas by 
a new train is almost as essential to a well trained intellect as 
facility of retention. 

To remember it is necessary to forget; this has been termed 
the paradox of memory. If you wish to make advancement, 
you must know how to forget; it is the stepping-stone to all 
progress. This is recognized in business. Said a great busi¬ 
ness man once: “I have no use for the man who remembers 
past achievements.” 

Many men deal every day with a mass of facts, most of 
which it is useless to remember. A mind that could remember 
all these things would be a mind encumbered, not equipped. 
All real memory, therefore, must involve selection and rejection 
if we are to advance in knowledge. 

It would seem as if our organism looked at memory strictly 
from a utilitarian point of view; what it thinks is of no use 
to its progress it ruthlessly casts to one side. Even the things 
which seem to contradict this view may be reconciled if we 
look at them from a biological point of view. And do not we 
ourselves seem to act in this same utilitarian spirit; what we 
have no use for, or where we cannot see utility, we speedily 
forget. 

Now since you cannot remember everything, it is evident 
you must decide what you wish to remember. If you wish to 


MEMORY 


231 


succeed you must know what to forget. “Men of strong char¬ 
acter acquire unusual facility in refusing attention to the things 
they desire to forget” 

The general Rule for Forgetting is: Disregard non-essen¬ 
tials and concentrate upon essentials. Do not waste time trying 
to remember everything. Make utility your standpoint; utility 
as applied to your profession or business, to your hobbies or 
amusements, to your social life, moral life, or religious life. 

Note: The ability to see the essential in anything is that 
which distinguishes one man from another. To acquire this 
power you must constantly ask yourself questions. Thus, in 
study, the student’s attitude must be: What are the really 
vital parts in this text-book, grammar, etc.? If he cannot dis¬ 
cover this himself he must get expert advice. In games of 
skill or playing musical instruments (piano, violin, etc.), the 
beginner makes a great number of unnecessary movements, call¬ 
ing into play muscles antagonistic to each other. Expert guidance 
is absolutely necessary here to know which movements are essen¬ 
tial to the development of skill. 

But there is another side to this subject of Forgetting. 
Themistocles, when Simonides offered to teach him the art of 
memory, replied: “I would rather learn to forget .... I 
remember what I do not wish to remember, but cannot forget 
what I wish to forget.” How are we to proceed to forget 
ideas which we do not wish to remember—ideas we do not 
seem able to forget? 

Students should note that the ideas we find troublesome to 
forget are generally those involving emotional factors; that is, 
experiences that give us pain, or cause us annoyance whenever 
they rise into consciousness. The following rules will be found 
helpful in such cases. 

THREE RULES FOR FORGETTING. 

Rule i. —Give the idea you wish to forget lack of attention. 

Rule 2. —Give the idea you wish to forget lack of repetition. 

Rule j.—Substitute for the idea you wish to forget some 
opposing idea. 

Students will note that Rule 2 readily follows from Rule 1. 
When you attend to emotional, or annoying experiences of 
the past, you tend to repeat these by going over the ground, 
time after time. Students should refuse to give these ideas 


232 


THE MASTER KEY 


attention or repetition; the instant they come before conscious¬ 
ness the mind should be turned aside to thoughts of an op¬ 
posite nature.* 

Studentsf must remember that they cannot oppose directly 
memory images of past experiences; such ideas must always 
be opposed, as above, by substituting for them ideas of an 
opposite nature. 

^Permit me to give an illustration. A gentleman, at one time, was 
troubled by the following experience. Every time he pulled his shoes on, 
there came to his mind the memory of a lady friend who died while in 
the act of pulling her shoes on. He opposed the morbid ideas accom¬ 
panying the memory image as follows. He_ imagined himself full of 
strength and vigor. He put this thought of vigor into the act of putting 
on his shoes; the operation was performed as quickly as possible, and 
gradually the former memory image, with its attendant morbid asso¬ 
ciates, gradually faded away, and ceased to trouble him. 

fStudents should read in connection with this section, “How to cure 
Bad Habits” (Habit and Will-Power) ; also the whole of the section on 
Thought-Control. 



iflastfr 2Crg 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

LESSON TWENTY-FOUR. 
CULTIVATION OF MEMORY. 

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY. 

Fundamental Laws for the Cultivation of Memory. 

The prime law for the cultivation of memory is— Concen¬ 
trate your attention on that which you wish to remember, for 
concentrated attention is the foundation of all memory culti¬ 
vation ; it intensifies mental images, keeps your thoughts pinned 
to the subject-matter, and stimulates thinking. According to 
the power of your attention (native retentiveness apart) will 
be the power of your memory. 

To secure readiness in recalling facts you must go over 
them from time to time. Repetition is, therefore, of funda¬ 
mental importance in memory cultivation. The great difficulty 
in using repetition is to make it conscious. You must know 
what you are repeating and why you are repeating it. This 
applies with special force to the first repetition. Mechanical 
repetition is of little avail. 

This brings the observing student to another great law. 
If his repetition is to be conscious he must have an aim and 
this involves interest. If the student’s interest is to be strong 
and of real use his aim must be clearly defined. But this is not 
all. The aim should be of such a nature as to make its attain¬ 
ment desirable and the way to that attainment agreeable and 
pleasant. Lacking the latter it is much more difficult to remem¬ 
ber. Aim and interest must work hand in hand if your memory 
is to be reliable. 

Another fundamental law is, that what you seek to learn 
must be of use to you. Utility is of the greatest importance for 
the permanency of memory. Unless you can see utility in 

233 


234 


THE MASTER KEY 


what you learn you are almost certain to forget it unless it 
falls under some of the heads noticed in “Factors that influence 
Retention This explains why so many of the students, after 
leaving school, college or university, forget the greater part 
of what they have learned; they have no use for it, and there¬ 
fore it fades away. 

The law of utility leads the student to another law of 
fundamental importance. Simple facts tend to die; complex 
facts tend to stay with us. The reason for this is obvious. 
Complexity means a great number of associations, hence the 
greater chance of some one of these associations leading to 
the remembrance of the fact we wish to recall. 

This brings us to what is sometimes called the most funda¬ 
mental law of memory— Association of Ideas. This I have 
already dealt with in a previous section. 

Another great law is what may be termed the law of under¬ 
standing. When you clearly and thoroughly understand a 
subject, it does not give you nearly so much trouble to remem¬ 
ber it. Examiners make use of this law. They know that a 
great number of students get up a subject in parrot fashion; 
they, therefore, vary their questions so as to give them a dif¬ 
ferent complexion, with the result that the parrot student is 
floored. 


AIDS TO REMEMBERING. 

Students should stand out as much as possible against using 
mnemonics as an aid to remembering. In the first place they 
are irrational, and in the second place they are burdensome and 
cumbersome and tend to decay quickly. 

Note: Students should recognize that mnemonics are only of 
use where immediacy is concerned. A lawyer getting up facts or 
details for a case, a student getting up various facts or figures 
for an examination, a professional man, or business man prepar¬ 
ing matter for an interview, or a public speaker preparing head¬ 
ings for his speech, may use mnemonic devices to aid him at such 
times; but it will be found that as soon as the time or occasion 
in question is over the facts mnemonically grasped tend to fade 
very rapidly from memory. To the student who wishes to make 
his knowledge a permanent possession, mnemonics are of very 
little use. 

Mnemonics are applied by many Memory Systems more 
especially to figures, dates being the principal application. Psy- 


CULTIVATION OF MEMORY 


235 


chologists condemn this practice. This is clearly an excessively 
poor, trivial and silly way of thinking about dates. The way 
of the historian is better. He has a lot of land-mark dates 
already in his mind. He knows the historic concatenation of 
events and can usually place an event at its right date in the 
chronology-table, by thinking of it in a rational way, referring 
to its antecedents, tracing its concomitants and consequences 
and thus ciphering out its date by connecting it with theirs. 

Nothing can be said against the practice of what are termed 
“ingenuity methods” in committing figures to memory. Thus 
suppose you wish to commit the following sets of figures to 
memory: (a). 884422; (b) 123654; (c) 93003936. 

You can divide (a) into (88) (44) (22). Here all that is 
necessary to remember is that the first two figures are 88, the 
next two figures half of 88 and the next two quarter of 88, or 
half the second two figures. In (b) you can group as follows: 
( I2 3 ) ( 6 54 ) • Here you remember that the first group follows 
in numerical order from 1 to 3 and that the second group 
continues in this order if you start with the last figure of the 
group. In (c) you can group into (930) (039)—the reverse 
of the first group—and (36) which you can remember as 3 less 
than the last two numbers of the second group. 

Note: I have purposely made the above examples as sim¬ 
ple as possible, to enable the student to grasp the principle in 
such methods. 

Similar methods are applied in learning lists of uncon¬ 
nected words. Thus Psychology, Sigh (similarity of sound 
in the first syllable), Potato, Pearl, Prince (each word com¬ 
mencing with the letter P), Sewing, Drinking, Playing (each 
word ending with “ing”), and so so. It is clear that all such 
methods are after all merely methods of better or closer 
attention. 

It is a great aid to remembering a fact to be able to link 
it to some other fact already in your mind. This is rational 
remembering and gives much better results than the mere at¬ 
tempt to commit the fact to memory, by repetition or mechanical 
aids. It is the thinking that impresses the fact upon the brain 
substance, for numerous associates are formed thereby and the 
tendency to recall is made more probable. 

Suppose you wish to remember to post a letter on your 
way to business, or to bring something home as you come from 


236 


THE MASTER KEY 


business. You can say either (i) “I must not forget to post 
my letter,” or “I must bring so and so home with me,” or (2) 
You can arrange matters so that every here and there as you 
go to business, something will recall the fact that you must 
post your letter, etc. 

Thus, you can say: “When I pass Robinson’s shop I’ll re¬ 
member I have a letter to post,” and so on. You are much 
more likely to remember by the second plan than by the first, 
for each of the places you fix on as an associate will tend to 
bring the fact to your mind that you have a letter to post. 

Children rely on mere repetition to remember. This does 
not give such good results in the case of adults; you cannot 
get away from the sense of what you are learning, hence “adults 
should chiefly attend to logical relations of things, to ideas, to 
argument, and to courses of thought.” 

It is much easier to learn poetry than to learn prose, for 
the rhyme and rhythm of the former are powerful aids to 
memory. If, therefore, you can introduce or see rhythm in 
anything you wish to learn, you strengthen the associative ties 
and render recall more likely. 

Learning Poetry. The learning of Poetry has been the 
subject of much experimental work. It has been found that 
passages up to two hundred and forty lines are learned more 
economically by the “Entire Method” than by the “Sectional 
Method” (see next section —“The most Economical Method of 
Learning”). Students are advised not to devote more than 
from thirty to forty minutes, at each sitting, to the learning of 
such passages. Long poems, i. e., of more than two hundred 
and forty lines, should be divided into sections, each section 
being, as far as possible, as thought-whole, i. e., closely con¬ 
nected in thought and matter—a natural division of the poem. 
The student will have to exercise great care in binding together 
the various sections. It is recommended to number each sec¬ 
tion, and to give to each a name or phrase expressive of the 
leading ideas or thought contained in such section. 

It is sometimes a help in remembering to get someone to 
read to you the matter you wish to learn, for in the reading 
they tend to give stress to certain parts, and these, as you saw 
above, form associations and help you to remember. This 
method is specially applicable to persons of the auditory type 
of memory. 

It is a great help towards remembering a subject to be able 


CULTIVATION OF MEMORY 


237 


to talk about the subject to some congenial mind. I drew 
attention to this in your numbered exercises. The endeavor 
to explain a subject reveals your limitations, and these you can 
attend to when alone. 

Students should never read a good book without a pencil in 
hand. Mark the passages, or parts, you wish to remember, 
and afterwards make notes of these. 

THE MOST ECONOMICAL METHOD OF LEARNING. 

There are three main methods of learning: 

First, the sectional method. 

Second, the whole, or Entire method. 

Third, the Mixed method. 

In learning by the Sectional method, the matter is divided 
into sections, and each section is learned before proceeding to 
the next. 

In learning by the Entire method, the matter to be learned 
is read through from beginning to end, and repeated in this 
way, until it is learned as a whole. 

Note: The Entire method is quicker than the sectional, for 
no redundant associations are formed. The piece is grasped as a 
whole, and everything is seen in its proper relation. In the 
Sectional method, associations are formed between the last word 
and the first word of the same section. This hinders the repro¬ 
duction of the matter as a whole. The student should note that 
even where the sectional method seems to involve less fatigue in 
consequence of fewer repetitions, it has been found that the mat¬ 
ter learned is not so well retained. 

In learning by the Mixed method, an attempt is made to 
avoid the disadvantages attaching to the other methods. The 
student has seen that the Sectional method encourages wrong 
associations; it will be equally apparent that the Entire method 
is apt to discourage a learner, and also to induce fatigue. 
The Mixed method seeks to avoid these defects as follows: 
The matter to be learned is divided into sections; each section 
must be read through on the principle of the Entire method, 
but as soon as the end of the section is reached a pause must 
be made, before reading the section over again. The pause 
should be sufficiently long to be felt as a distinct break, before 
the passage is repeated again. This rests the brain; that is, 
minimizes fatigue, and no unnecessary associations are formed. 


238 


THE MASTER KEY 


Students are advised to map out the learning process, as 
follows: Read through carefully, for a few times, from 
beginning to end, the whole of the matter to be learned. Note, 
in your reading, how the matter may be divided up into sec¬ 
tions, so that each section forms a logical division of the whole. 
Pick out the difficult sections, and learn these by the Mixed 
method, and, as soon as possible, return to the Entire method. 

LEARNING BY HEART WITH THE MINIMUM 
OF FATIGUE. 

In Experimental Psychology , various experiments have been 
carried out to test individual differences in memory, the best 
methods of recall, etc. In order to make the conditions of 
wide application, a series of meaningless syllables is chosen, 
generally of three letters, such as gar, lem, ped, meb, etc. There 
are three methods that have been extensively used in testing 
the reproduction of such a series, viz.: 

First, the Learning and Saving method. 

Second, the Prompting method. 

Third, the Scoring method. 

In the Learning and Saving Method a series of meaning¬ 
less syllables is read over and over until the list can be repeated. 
The number of repetitions requisite to learn the list is noted, 
and after a certain interval (by which time many of the words 
of the series will have been forgotten) the list is gone over 
again and the number of repetitions requisite for its repro¬ 
duction noted. A comparison of the repetitions shows the sav¬ 
ing effected by the second reproduction. 

In the Prompting Method the series is read over for a cer¬ 
tain number of times, but not sufficient to reproduce the list. 
Note is taken of the number of promptings necessary to enable 
the pupil to reproduce the series. 

In the Scoring Method the syllables of the series are learned 
in pairs, the second syllable in each pair being strongly ac¬ 
cented. The series is read over a certain number of times— 
not sufficient for complete reproduction—and then the first 
syllable in each pair is exposed on a screen, and the pupil is 
required to give the corresponding syllable to complete the 
pair. When he answers correctly, it is counted as a score, 
hence the name of the method. I have found that the Scoring 
method is not so fatiguing on the student as the other methods, 
and, also, gives better results. 


CULTIVATION OF MEMORY 


239 


Coat —Song. 

Race — Sour. 
Rough —Noxious. 
Shop —Salt. 

Shrill —Cold. 
Running —Smell. 


A good exercise in this method is to write the words, 
as shown here, and then read the pairs over six times, ac¬ 
centing the second word in each pair. 
Next cover the right-hand words, 
and see if you can reproduce them 
as soon as you expose each of the 
left-hand words. When you can re¬ 
produce them perfectly, reverse the 
process—cover the left-hand words 
and expose the right-hand words. 
You can apply this adaptation of 
the Scoring Method with excellent results to your studies— 
Languages, Poetry, the Sciences, History, Geography, Law, 
Philosophy, Short-hand, Bookkeeping, etc., all that is neces¬ 
sary is to make your notes as concise as possible and then skele¬ 
tonize them. Thus, suppose you have a note as follows: 
<( Ethics is the study of the Ultimate Good of Man ” You 
arrange it thusEthics—study, ultimate good—man. Leave 
the word “Ethics” exposed and see if it suggests “study”; then 
expose “ultimate good,” and see if it suggests “man” After¬ 
wards expose the word “Ethics” only and see if it suggests 
the other words. 

Students should also test the principle of the scoring 
method by applying it to the lists A, B, C, on page 224. 

Students will find the above method gives much more satis¬ 
factory results than the associative methods of the memory 
systems. The latter demand a certain arrangement (differing 
in the order of presentation) and often find it necessary to 
introduce other words, foreign to the subject-matter, to com¬ 
plete the chain or series. 

Note on Learning Languages. In learning Rules and Vocab¬ 
ularies, the student is advised never to work at them for longer 
than 15 minutes at a sitting. This was the plan of study adopted 
by the great linguist, Sir Richard Burton; after 15 minutes of 
concentrated attention, he found the brain lost its freshness. The 
same applies to all kinds of purely mechanical learning—short 
periods of study give the best results. Musical students should 
note the bearing of this. 

THE MOST USEFUL MEMORY AND HOW TO 
CULTIVATE IT. 

Which is the most useful Memory? There is not the 
slightest doubt that the preponderance of opinion would 



240 


THE MASTER KEY 


answer —The memory for everyday affairs. You wish to re¬ 
member where you put things, where you saw things, where 
you read things, and what you read (i. e., general reading, apart 
from study), where you heard things, the names and addresses 
of people, appointments, and one hundred and one things of 
this nature. This is the memory you want, not so much the 
memory for dates, the Kings and Queens of England, the 
horses that have won the Derby, or who won the Oxford and 
Cambridge boat-race. Give me the memory for everyday 
affairs, the “where did I leave my umbrella” type—this is the 
cry of the vast majority who seek to improve their memory. 

Now, how are you to get this memory ? If you will analyze 
any case of forgetting which falls under the above heads, you 
will find that Inattention lies at the root of them all. 

You go into a shop, put down your umbrella and ask to 
see certain articles which you have come to purchase. After 
you have got what you want you leave the shop, and likewise 
your umbrella. Why? Simply because you put it down in a 
semi-conscious state , your mind being intent on what you had 
come to buy. Is it at all strange that you forget in such 
cases ? 

A lady puts her purse down when she returns home; next 
time she wants it she cannot find it anywhere. Why ? Simply 
because she put it down without a thought, her mind being 
intent on other matters. 

Now, what is the cure for this type of forgetfulness? The 
cure is simply this —you must cultivate the habit of paying 
attention to what you are doing; you must make your acts con¬ 
scious acts. The lady who puts her purse down must be aware 
of the fact; it is a simple matter for her to say to herself, as 
she puts her purse down—“I will put my purse here, on this 
table, and I will know where it is when next I want it.” The 
man who locks up at night, and who wonders when he reaches 
his bedroom whether he really locked the front door, will do 
the same on succeeding nights unless he makes the locking 
of the door a conscious act. You cannot remember doing a 
thing, if while you are doing it your mind is elsewhere. You 
must attend to what you are doing if you really wish to have 
a reliable memory. 

If you wish to remember what you see, or hear, or read, 
you must pay attention while seeing, hearing, or reading, and 
you must impress upon your mind that you wish to remember 


CULTIVATION OF MEMORY 


241 


these things. It is here that Will Power, Concentration and 
Mental Discipline play their important role in memory. 

If you wish to remember to do anything in an hour’s time, 
or a few hours’ time, or a day, a week, a month ahead, you must 
make provision beforehand, either by making a note of the 
thing to be remembered, or by associating the fact in some such 
way as the letter experiment in “Aids to Remembering.” 

Business men who wish to remember to do a certain thing 
as soon as they reach their office can cultivate this type of 
memory in the following manner. Determine before you leave 
home that on reaching your office you will do a certain act — 
any trivial thing will do. Suppose, for example, you say: 
“When I reach the office, I will immediately unlock the safe.” 
With this as your objective you arrange that as soon as you 
come near to your business premises the fact that you must 
unlock your safe will come to your mind. Similarly it must 
come to you as you enter the building, as you go up the elevator, 
as you enter the office. 

I have taken the business man as a type for the cultivation 
of this type of memory, but its application can, of course, be 
extended to any type. Let any man or woman try this experi¬ 
ment for a week and they will soon see its utility. Extend the 
exercise by determining to do some particular act (such as lift¬ 
ing or touching an ornament, taking down a particular book 
from its shelf) as soon as you reach home, associating the act 
with stages in your home-coming as above, and you will be 
surprised how your memory for this class of facts will improve. 

WORDS OF ADVICE ON MEMORY. 

Students are requested to pay particular attention to this sum¬ 
mary and to carry out the instructions. The head-lines or titles 
of each note direct your attention to the principal sections in 
memory cultivation, as mentioned in this Volume. 

Defects. Note where your memory is weak and concentrate 
on that weakness. 

Health. Remember that good memory depends on good 
health; look after your health as the first consideration in 
memory training. 

Mental Attitude. Read this section until you understand it 
thoroughly. Learn the value of Will ‘Power and Concentra- 


242 


THE MASTER KEY 


tion, and use them in your work. Cultivate, also, trust in 
memory. 

Imagination. Understand the part that Imagination plays in 
memory; to understand is to be on your guard. 

Retention. Note the factors that influence Retention and seek 
to know what bearing they have on your memory. 

Association. A thorough understanding of Association is neces¬ 
sary and also of the factors that regulate it. Analyze a train 
of thought and see how one idea suggests another. 

Recall. Understand the nature of recall and the methods to 
employ to secure recall. 

Mental Imagery. Experiment until you find to what type of 
imagery you belong, and employ this type in learning by 
heart. 

Repetition. Understand the value of Repetition—where it is 
most successfully employed and how to distribute it to the 
best advantage. 

Time-Rate. Cultivate quick reading and a quick grasp of the 
subject-matter read. 

Forgetting. Cultivate the Art of Forgetting by concentrating 
on essentials only. Precis writing is a valuable aid to this 
end; it also cultivates your thinking powers. 

Learning. Learn rationally; employ mnemonics as little as 
possible and only where immediacy is involved. Remember 
that rational learning is not mechanical learning; it is the 
acquirement of knowledge by thinking—analyzing, synthe¬ 
sizing, and correlating experience. 

Economy. Experiment with the Scoring method and other 
methods of learning laid down in the work, and note which 
yields you the best results with the minimum of Fatigue. 
Be economical in study, as in means. 

Attention. Understand the value of paying attention to every¬ 
day matters as noted under “The most useful Memory .” 
Re-read the sections on “Attention” and “Observation,” 
“Attention, Observation, Interest and Fatigue.” 

WORDS OF CAUTION. 

Students are cautioned as to how they regard the effect of 

exercise in Memory Cultivation. The learning of a number of 

verses per day will not improve the Memory as a whole—it 


CULTIVATION OF MEMORY 243 

will only improve it so far as the learning of poetry is con¬ 
cerned. The same applies to any other department of learning. 

Students are cautioned not to attempt to learn by heart too 
much at one time, and to refrain from learning, when they 
are tired. The effect of Fatigue on Memory is marked, and in 
extreme cases renders recall an impossibility. 

THE KEY TO MEMORY CULTIVATION. 

The key to memory cultivation is Interest, for Interest— 
First, multiplies associations; Second, makes retention easier 
and more permanent; Third, makes the mind inventive and 
progressive. 

Students are advised to study carefully Lesson Seventeen on 
“Interest”; also the paragraph on “the road to success” in the 
section on “Will Power in Business,” in Lesson Twenty-two . 


3Il;e Haster SCmj 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

LESSON TWENTY-FIVE. 

PERSONAL MAGNETISM. 
OBTAINED BY CONCENTRATION. 

This silent, invisible soul force known as Personal Mag¬ 
netism is the power that has been conserved to the use of the 
strong minded; and when concentrated, and projected by the 
will with a combative, subduing or controlling intent, it be¬ 
comes the magic wand that rules the social and commercial 
world, for it triumphs over obstacles and brings success in 
business, social and domestic life. 

It is that subtle, unseen influence that enables many people 
to control those around them. A person of ordinary intelli¬ 
gence and strong mind having this mental power well developed 
is able many times to control those having no knowledge of 
mental science. 

The present stage of social and commercial life is one of 
combat —man pitted against man. The invisible weapon used 
in this battle, or struggle for supremacy, is concentrated men¬ 
tal force. 

The student who has developed will-power can, without 
doubt, influence his fellow beings to do that which he wills 
them to do. It is this unseen element that often causes men 
and women to do things in business, social and domestic life 
that their ordinary common sense and reason would reject; 
yet under the magnetic personality of another they do it with¬ 
out thought, impressed that their acts are the outcome of their 
own natural inclinations. 

The business and social world is ruled and influenced by 
this psychic force known today as Personal Magnetism , Con¬ 
centration, Will Power, Suggestion, Thought. Force, etc. 

244 


PERSONAL MAGNETISM 


245 


Those persons who have this sublimated life essence well de¬ 
veloped, and under strict discipline of the will, are enabled to 
influence, rule and sway their fellow men by the concentration 
of this force. To the learned in Psychology, or those who 
have studied Mental Science, it appears nothing more than the 
intelligent application of one’s power of mind. 

There is constantly emanating from every person his own 
particular personal magnetism. It is this particular invisible 
element which enables the faithful dog to scent and trace his 
master through a crowded thoroughfare, the hunting dog to 
follow and run wild game to its lair. This same Magnetism 
enables the bloodhound to run the criminal to earth. Personal 
Magnetism is the medium by which and through which per¬ 
sons are either attracted to or repelled by each other, its 
nature being the key of success in our dealings in this world. 
Success in worldly affairs does not always depend upon intelli¬ 
gence or education, as is demonstrated to all who have ob¬ 
served the success of the man or woman of a magnetic person¬ 
ality, but depends entirely upon their mental or psychic forces. 

All persons, to a greater or lesser degree, possess these latent 
forces, but a few have developed them to their fullest extent. 

Take the Magnetism of a fascinating young lady, which is 
invested with a subtle, indefinable charm, so subtle, intangible 
and alluring, that the effects of its far-reaching influence is felt 
by all with whom she comes in contact. Personal or Vital 
Magnetism radiates from the loving parent’s heart, emanates 
from the powerful public speaker, as it does from the teacher 
whose strong Magnetic personality gives her discipline over 
her pupils. 

This invisible influence goes forth unseen, but ever felt, 
in the gentle tone and kindly ministrations of the skilled nurse. 
This subtle influence is felt by the very presence of the trusted 
physician, whose magnetic look and reassuring words give to 
the poor, suffering and afflicted soul new energy, life and 
hope. 

Magnetism breathed and pulsated in every word, look and 
action of the marvelous Patti enthralling and charming the 
soul by her magic spell. And so the masses are swayed, 
charmed and fascinated by this selfsame Magnetism, which is 
looked upon, by those unacquainted with the art of Concen¬ 
tration, as a wonderful gift by Providence to a few favored 
ones. 


246 


THE MASTER KEY 


All of our great leaders in Congress sway and bind their 
audiences, either consciously or unconsciously by conforming 
to the law of this supreme soul force. History records many 
illustrations of the absolute certainty and power of a magnetic 
personality. 

Our late President, William McKinley, who was just, 
tender and wise in his kindly ministration of the affairs of 
the nation, by his firm and diplomatic manner, so well known 
to his associates, exerted this influence, which radiated from 
his powerful personality, ever leading the people lovingly and 
safely; always winning their confidence and retaining through¬ 
out his executive life, their undying affection and unquestion¬ 
ing, loyal obedience. 

The gracious influence of his strong personality was always 
forcibly felt in the brilliant glance of his manly eye, scintillated 
in his welcome smile, glowed in his friendly word and thrilled 
those who felt the hearty and firm grasp of his hand. 

In every sphere of life the cultivation and development of 
Magnetic qualities are of the highest importance, as this force 
is latent in every human soul, a sacred gift and priceless jewel, 
whose assiduous cultivation always bestows benefit. 

This magical power belongs to the inward man or soul 
whose spiritual strength, faculty or efficacy is best stirred into 
action by intense concentration and earnest intention, combined 
with spoken words in which there is a wonderful hidden virtue 
whereby you can influence another. 

Indeed the virtue of man’s words are so wonderful when 
pronounced with a fervent constancy of mind or soul. 

The three Evangelists relate how Jesus “Appeased the 
troubled waters and roaring deep .” Matt. 8:23-27. Mark 
4:35-41. Luke 8:22-25. 

Jesus, who was asleep in the hinder part of the ship when 
there arose a great tempest on the sea, the waves beating into 
the ship so that it was now full, arose and rebuked the winds 
and the sea; and there was a great calm. Christ spoke first 
to his disciples, calming their fear and agitation with a word, 
His magical address of— “Peace, be still”; to the furious ele¬ 
ments which caused a great calm was a revelation. The men 
marveled, saying: “What manner of man is this, that even the 
winds and the sea obey him ?” 

Christ again turned to them and more deliberately rebuked 
their lack of faith. “And He saith unto them, Why are ye 


PERSONAL MAGNETISM 


247 


fearful, 0 ye of little faith?” Jesus rebukes a fever (Luke 
4 -39 )j which rebuke was not unheard or unheeded: for not 
“willingly” was the fever or “condition” made subject to man’s 
vanity.” (Romans, 8 :20.) 

The unseen forces of nature which were constituted at first, 
as man’s servant or hand-maid, rise up against him, and become 
the instruments of his hurt and harm, trouble and sorrow, 
when he remains ignorant of their nature and use. 

But even in the moment of their wildest uproar and devasta¬ 
tion they recognize and yield to the voice of the man who 
can concentrate for he is the rightful master, and gladly return 
to their allegiance to him, and in this, to their proper place of 
service to the human race. 

The student who gives this book a close perusal will learn 
that man is not by nature a creature of circumstances, and 
should always endeavor to be master of the event, ever re¬ 
claiming and reasserting his Psychic or Magnetic possibilities. 

The question of Personal Magnetism, Will Culture and 
Mental Discipline is naturally one which concerns the bulk of 
people, for it only means the practice of the spirit of helpful¬ 
ness extended to every creature with whom you are brought into 
contact. One of the greatest powers with which human beings 
are endowed is sympathy, or love, and there is by no means 
too much in the world. Sympathy postulates a recognition 
of the unity of all with the one, that brotherhood is not a 
matter of sentiment but a great fact in nature. Sympathy, 
however, is not that sickly sentimentality that gushes over, 
losing balance; it is essentially something strong, something 
inherent with power. Wherever there is a great love flowing 
out to one’s fellows that character is strong, and commands the 
homage of all, for everyone admires strength. Some writers 
have endeavored to surround Personal Magnetism with mys¬ 
tery, but there is no need whatever. Every human being 
is surrounded by an envelope composed of fine etheric matter, 
or aura,* which Dr. Kilner has now rendered visible to the 
majority by means of chemical screens he has made. This 
human atmosphere is composed of various colors, and char¬ 
acter readers who can see it find no difficulty in giving a pretty 

*Those interested in the different astral auras, which surrounds men 
and women, should read “ Man Visible And Invisible by C. W. Lead- 
beater. This work contains 22 color plates showing the different astral 
auras which emanate from every human being like a soft luminous 
phosphorescent light. 



248 


THE MASTER KEY 


accurate delineation of a character from it. It is this finely 
constituted envelope which stands out round an individual 
which is sensed by others as soon as their and his auras impinge 
upon each other. The interpenetration of each will cause 
many people to make up their minds at once as to whether 
they like or dislike a stranger. They cannot explain why, 
but they have certain feelings which either attract or repel them 
from one whom they have not met before. 

It is thought by some writers that only those in robust 
health possess Personal Magnetism, but there are plenty of 
individuals with a superfluity of vitality who do not attract 
others towards them. The more unselfish a life is led the 
more will one generate and diffuse this essence. To secure 
it, therefore, the way is obvious. Concentrate daily upon its 
increasing in the system*; picture your highest and best 
thoughts and wishes raying out all over the world to all men, 
though you can commence at first with those nearest to you. 

Take an interest in your fellow beings; seek to be of service, 
remembering that “I serve” is the motto of all great souls, and 
service the keynote of all of the greatest characters known 
to history. The more you do the more you are able to do, and 
to help should be regarded as a privilege. The reason why 
those with this catholic spirit possess so much Personal Mag¬ 
netism, and are thereby able to influence people, is that such 
an attitude allows of a free flowing of a Magnetic Personality. 
The man who lives to himself shrivels and contracts all his 
vehicles; he becomes self-centered to the exclusion of all better 
feelings and promptings, and it is a scientific fact that no man 
or woman.can live only to themselves. The exclusive spirit 
must be abandoned, the barriers erected by a spirit of narrow¬ 
ness to keep the world out must be broken down if one wishes 
to be popular or successful. 

It follows from the above that sex attraction is very similar. 
Were the question of love between the sexes relegated to the 
higher part of the nature there would be less marital friction, 
divorces and domestic trouble. Through bringing marriage 

*One of the prominent Psychological Exercises, very much in favor 
in New York and London, among those who have taken up these studies 
with the one idea of mental and physical betterment, is to lie down relax 
(the position of the body has much to do with the free flowing of certain 
currents through the spinal cord), and direct all the concentrated attention 
possible on the nervous system, holding steadfast the thought of health 
and strength, the breathing meanwhile being deep, rhythmic and long. 




PERSONAL MAGNETISM 


249 


down to a purely animal and commercial level it has been de¬ 
based, and those concerned have only sensed the outermost 
sheath of the individual. Good looks count with some as the 
only consideration, character being a minor matter, yet char¬ 
acter should come first. When you have come across one 
whom you think will make a good partner for life, let a mental 
image of the person be made, when alone, and concentrate 
intently on it. Ask the higher mind to say whether this person 
is suited to you or not. Consult your good judgment. In some 
cases the answer has come like a flash—much depends upon 
the advancement of the person in practical psychology, but if it 
does not come then drop the idea and try again next day and 
the day after that, and several days, if need be. It must not 
be forgotten that to make a conscious contact between one’s 
lower and higher vehicles is not a thing to be accomplished 
with one or two attempts. There are business men today who 
undertake no important matter without first submitting it to 
their higher judgment, and in going over this work the observ¬ 
ing student will notice that a great deal has been said with 
regard to training the judgment. Above all, look for the high¬ 
est and best only in everyone with whom you desire to enter 
into friendly relations. By practicing the highest you know 
you will call forth in the majority of cases a corresponding best. 
One hesitates to use the word “soal,” because it is capable of so 
much misunderstanding, but where the highest part of the 
nature feels an irresistible attraction towards another person 
there is not likely to be any cause, dissention or disappointment. 

The eyes may be made a medium for the reading of an¬ 
other’s innermost nature, and one will know intuitively some¬ 
times whether a person can be trusted; to do this with absolute 
certainty, of course, means a high state of mental development 
on the part of the experimentalist. In the same way one may 
convey one’s wishes to another by expressing them through 
the eyes, as well as through the voice. Integrity, Scientific 
Concentration and Mental Discipline, coupled with literal Faith 
and Confidence in one’s self are the talismans used in all cases, 
and zvithont these essentials the student will have little or no 
success. Naturally one would never wish to impose his will 
upon another, because they are not acting harmoniously; for 
wherever there is inharmony of any kind there is loss of power, 
magnetism, and a tangle of vibrations. 

You cannot do any creature a wrong without risking your 


250 


THE MASTER KEY 


own stability. You can hoodwink others, but never your inner 
consciousness, and it is this knowledge which jars through the 
whole of the vibratory system of all the mental forces. 

Some psychologists claim that however long a man may 
live every impression made on his consciousness remains there 
indelibly fixed, and at his death passes before his dying eyes. 

To be thoroughly vitalized and energized, to possess “exec¬ 
utive ability ” and thereby attain the function, or power, of 
executing and performing things, that count in life, there is no 
more effective method of attaining it than by Concentration 
and “faith in one's self ” 

For a few minutes, daily, see and literally realize, that is, 
believe yourself as the recipient of the great stream of vitality, 
health and success that fills the ether. 

Believe that it is pouring into your body at every point, 
and, that you are absorbing it like a sponge taking up water. 
As you inhale believe that you are drawing vitality and 
strength in great waves into your being. Next realize it as 
being distributed all over the system to every part. If there 
is a weak spot or organ in your body concentrate on it at given 
times and affirm that vitality is centering there, that extra 
blood is coming from various parts of the system and that 
life power is intensely active there. That you, by concen¬ 
tration and faith, are attracting life and vital force to a weak¬ 
ened organ or function. It is a law of psychology that in 
whatever part of the body the thought is centered increased 
circulation takes place, and with the life-stream carrying more 
force to the part obstructions are broken down and carried 
away. Disease has been removed by this means, and a regu¬ 
lar circulation established in parts where it has been impeded 
through the accumulation of morbid material. This explains 
cures made by Christian Science. The writer looks forward 
to no distant day when Practical Psychology shall have ac¬ 
quired such stability of character and utility as to entitle it 
to universal reception, when its advantages shall be looked 
to as the main auxiliary of good health, sound morals, rational 
philosophy and true religion. 


Sfjt iiaster 2Kfg 

Jart 3Ftiip 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

LESSON TWENTY-SIX. 

THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING. 

CONCENTRATION APPLIED TO SPEECH MAKING. 

The art of public speaking is one thing—eloquence is 
another. Often one hears successful examples of the former 
far removed from the latter. True eloquence is only gained 
by study and intelligent concentration. The mere ability to 
speak fluently is not uncommon, but far more important than 
the mere flow of language is the power of putting forward 
convincingly, in a concentrated manner, the view and opinions 
which the speaker desires to impart to his audience. When 
to that ability, which is only to be gained by Scientific Con¬ 
centration, is added the gift of polished and fluent diction, 
the added attraction of real eloquence, then one has the orator, 
although there are singularly few in the present age who can 
truthfully lay claim to that distinction. 

By the very nature of things real eloquence must be a 
diminishing quantity, and the dominating factor driving to 
that end is the growing cult of unemotionalism broadening 
widespread down through the Universities and Public Schools 
to the great middle-class. Today the appeal is to the intellect, 
to the reason of one’s audience. 

The growing change in the fashion of our speaking is no¬ 
where more plainly evidenced than in our Courts of Law. 
Advocates are practiced and professional speakers paid on each 
occasion to achieve by their powers of speech a particular end. 
It must be a foregone conclusion that they will endeavor to, 
concentrate on and use the methods of speech which experience 

251 


252 


THE MASTER KEY 


shows to be most essential. Only those who frequent the Courts 
can properly realize how seldom one hears the least attempt 
to employ the effect of mere language. Sheer earnestness 
sometimes carries an advocate before a jury into the appear¬ 
ance of a resort to eloquence, but such a state almost always 
is unintentional and unpremeditated. It is only in the ordinary 
public political meeting, and when there is a tendency for the 
intellect to be subordinated to the loyalty of party feeling, that 
enthusiasm can be raised by the emotionalism of eloquence. 

The growth of a cynicism and the repression of emotion are 
having a striking effect on public speaking in this country. 
The oratory of half a century ago is dead; the tearing eloquence 
of the old stump speaker has given place to the seasoned skill 
of the unemotional orator. Now and then we find in some 
local politician a lonely survivor of that greater age. 

In politics there have been great orators of every party; 
there have been, as there are, great statesmen and great men 
of all shades of political opinion, but ever and always, for 
turgid eloquence, one must look to the more democratic schools 
of thought; for the very caution produced by the knowledge 
and experience which breed Conservatism must of necessity 
check and control exuberance of language. Serious speaking 
with a purpose, however, tends every day more and more to 
pass into the hands of a few professional speakers. Politics 
are rapidly becoming machine-made and standardized; and 
political speaking, as the years go by, comes more and more 
under the influence of the party machines and party organiza¬ 
tions, and of the recognized political speaking clubs. Politics 
—one of the few things men are serious about—form almost 
the only object of public meetings. To the written, rather 
than the spoken word, do we increasingly intrust the advocacy 
of all other subjects. Such other public speaking as exists— 
debate at the meetings of public bodies hardly reaches that 
level—may be broadly described as “after-dinner speaking.” 
To be earnest on such an occasion is a mistake: a serious 
speaker is a bore, and usually so regarded. In this we are 
far in advance of our cousins across the Atlantic. Here, after 
dinner the Heaven-born orator holds forth at length, and, 
strange to say, he gets listened to. If the amateur orator is 
not to hand, a professional speaker is hired. We hire a musi¬ 
cian or an expert in funny stories, and a long toast-list is only 
less anathema than a succession of long speeches. The result 


THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING 


253 


is that a type of speech has been evolved which is a type more 
difficult of attainment than any other. As a rule it needs 
careful preparation, which nevertheless it must not indicate in 
any way. It must be brief; it must be witty; it must be 
clever; it must be delivered fluently, without a trace of hesita¬ 
tion ; it must be to the point, and it needs to be as light in its 
persiflage as the souffle which has preceded it. To some such 
a speech comes naturally. To the majority of men it comes 
only by experience, only by careful thought. It is because 
the most successful form of speech in this country, is the 
product of study and practice, that the opportunity is open 
to anybody who will take the trouble to acquire the reputation 
of a clever speaker. I know I am laying myself open to con¬ 
tradiction, but in my own experience the most successful after- 
dinner speeches have been those in which the speaker has 
employed genial and extravagant raillery of others who have 
been present, in such a manner that whilst all present have 
been amused, the person dealt with has felt no trace of resent¬ 
ment. To deliver such a speech needs more'preparation and 
care than is entailed in the delivery of a serious one. Unfor¬ 
tunately, speeches of that kind are seldom, if ever, reported. 
Imitation is not recommended; but study of speeches made 
by great orators is advised, that the student may discover the 
why, and how, and the wherefore of their success, for in and 
through that study will come the knowledge of the essentials 
of success in public speaking. Given that knowledge, practice, 
concentration and experience will then produce the effective and 
successful public speaker. 

THE SET SPEECH. 

I am not a believer in “the born orator.” Of course, some 
people have a much readier vocabulary than others. They 
can, as they go along, invest their thoughts with appropriate 
expression with the utmost ease and readiness. They can 
move smoothly forward while others drag painfully along. 
Yet, but unless there has been plenty of concentration, plenty 
of good hard study, plenty of good clear thinking, and plenty 
of good honest preparation, the speech of your “born orator” 
will simply be grandiloquent emptiness. Whenever I hear a 
man say that he is going to trust to “the inspiration of the 
moment” I know that I am going to listen to a speech that 
isn’t going to add very much of value to the discussion. 


254 


THE MASTER KEY 


Therefore, here as elsewhere, let it be understood that the 
essentials are concentration and hard work. The man who is 
going to make a good speech must first of all immerse himself 
in his subject. He must read all there is to be read about it; 
he must concentrate on it and think about it; he must talk 
about it. And particularly must he master completely the 
view of the other side. Naturally, if he is accustomed day by 
day to make speeches on public affairs, his mind will become 
stored with information on current topics; and, therefore, the 
amount of detailed preparation required will be less. But 
even here I always feel a cold shudder run down my back when 
I see one of the speakers of the evening jotting a few notes 
down on the back of an envelope during the Chairman’s open¬ 
ing remarks. 

So far, I am dealing with the set speech. The debating 
reply is different, and calls for different qualities. And of 
these more later. 

The first thing to do, then, if you are to make a set, and 
prepared speech on a given topic, is to concentrate on it, and 
also read all there is to be read about it. The next thing is 
to talk about it whenever you are in the company of a fellow 
human being willing to listen to you. The exchange of views 
which conversation affords is invaluable. The truth fo the old 
proverb that “two heads are better than one” is never better 
exemplified than in the preparation of a speech. The mem¬ 
bers of my classes and my intimate friends have rendered me 
enormous assistance in the preparation of speeches—though 
I can’t doubt they occasionally voted me an insufferable bore. 

Very good. Having made a careful study of all that has 
been said or written upon the subject, the next thing is to think 
out the framework of the speech. You will consider the lines 
along which you will go, the points you will make, the con¬ 
clusions you will enforce. Jot these down in a series of 
heads, and then sit down to write the speech out. Whenever 
time offers write the speech out fully. If we could all find 
time to do that—even the most practiced platform performers 
amongst us—our speeches would be so much better phrased, 
so much more closely knit together and reasoned, so much 
more worthy of the audience which has taken the trouble to 
come to hear us. 

Having written the speech down, concentrate upon it and 
see what can profitably be struck out. In all probability it is 


THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING 


255 


too long, contains too many points, and will bewilder rather 
than educate or convince. Most speakers, even the most ex¬ 
perienced, try to cover too much ground. The real art in 
speech making lies in selecting for enforcement just those three 
or four significant points upon which everything else depends 
And in the exercise of that art comes success. 

Now comes the work of translating the written speech into 
",speaking notes .” A very great deal will depend upon the way 
this is accomplished. If you can spare the time you should 
make two or three separate sets of “notes,” each succeeding set 
more condensed than the former. Use quartosized sheets of 
paper, write on one side only, and write boldly and clearly. 
Your preliminary “notes” should really be the text of the 
speech, with all the less important words omitted. Your final 
“notes” need not be much more than the barest outline of the 
points you intend to make. Mark each note off by a line drawn 
across the paper. You will find it is a good plan to use red ink 
as well as black. I often use red alternately with black for 
my “notes.” I find it more easy for the eye to pick them up 
when thus written. 

Concentrate on the striking phrases of your speech and 
learn them by heart. You will then deliver them far more 
effectively and forcibly. Study your notes over again and 
again until the eye becomes so accustomed to them that it can 
take in the whole pageful at a glance. 

But while I lay great stress upon the necessity for hard 
work and care in the preparation of your “notes” I would beg 
of you to try and depend upon them less and less as your 
speech-making proceeds. You may easily become so much a 
slave to them that you will lose all capacity for spontaneous 
statement. You may find yourself incapable of expressing 
any thought save that set down on your tablets. That will 
cripple you seriously and render you hopelessly unable to take 
an effective part in a debating reply. Your mind will become 
petrified by too much reliance upon your “notes.” 

Undoubtedly the presence of your “notes” on the table will 
prove a most effectual preventive of nervousness in your early 
day. But, as I say, do not become too much enslaved to them. 
If you have a quick and retentive verbal memory* you may 


♦Study Chapter XXV., Lesson Twenty-three, “Memory”—"Good And 

Bad Memories”; also study Chapter XXVI., Lesson Twenty-four , Cul¬ 
tivation of Memory.” 




256 


THE MASTER KEY 


learn your speech by heart. People would be astonished if they 
knew how many efforts of spontaneous coruscation have been 
laboriously committed to memory beforehand. There are many 
exponents of the value of learning by heart. It is positively 
uncanny to watch a public speaker of this kind talking away— 
and talking very well, indeed—at high speed and without a 
note before him. I always admire this performance. But I 
can’t help thinking that much of the wonder of it really be¬ 
longs to great industry, concentration, and quick and retentive 
memory. I do not speak disparagingly of all that. Quite the 
contrary. It is entirely in keeping with my general propo¬ 
sition that here, as elsewhere, concentration and hard work is 
the only road that leads to success. 

DELIVERY OF A PUBLIC SPEECH. 

But now I turn to the delivery of the speech. First of all, 
put your “notes” frankly on the table in front of you. Don’t 
roll them up in your hand as though you .were ashamed of 
them—keeping them behind your back, save for a furtive and 
hasty glance at them when you begin to get flurried and ner¬ 
vous. 

It is most amusing to watch the attitude of many speakers 
towards their “notes.” It is quite clear that they are shamed- 
faced about them. They obviously think it an evidence of 
weakness to have to come armed with notes at all. I don’t 
know why. They try ineffectually to roll them up in the palm 
of the hand, but only succeed in depriving themselves of easy 
access to them. Put them frankly down on the table and have 
done with it. Better still, get a flat box, say two feet high, 
put that on the table, and put the notes on the box. If you 
must have a reading-stand let it be a flat one; the sloping 
music-stand is a trap for the unwary. ( Demosthenes himself 
would have looked ridiculous gathering up his scattered notes 
from the floor.) 

Begin quietly, incisively and slowly, and above all be nat* 
ural and unaffected. Don't strive after effect and don’i 
“mouth.” Simply talk, but talk slowly and impressively. Try 
not to look severe or nervous if you can help it. A pleasant 
manner will put you into touch with your audience quicker 
than many eloquent periods. Move forward slowly and give 
each word its due weight. If you think any point hasn’t gone 


THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING 


257 


home, repeat it. And don’t be afraid to pause frequently to 
let your points sink in. Speakers as a rule do not realize the 
value of the pause. They know all about the subject them¬ 
selves and they fall into the mistake of imagining that their 
audiences are similarly equipped. The fa,ct is the speaker is 
really a teacher in an adult school. He must adopt the method 
of the teacher—without, of course, being pedantic. And he 
will be well advised if he takes very little indeed for granted. 

I remember some time ago speaking for an hour to an 
audience on the subject of Psychology and Mental Discipline, 
with all the simplicity of method of the old school-teacher. In 
my audience was a very distinguished and justly renowned law¬ 
yer. He left the meeting with me and made a comment, the 
justice of which I at once recognized. He said, “Do you sup¬ 
pose the people understood what you meant by ' Moral Clair¬ 
voyance* ” ? The phrase was one I had used several times, and 
without explanation. I assumed that my audience knew what 
it meant, as I did. They did not; and my assumption left the 
contingent parts of my speech more or less unintelligible. 

Remember that the voice will play a leading part in the 
success or failure of your speech. As I say, begin quietly, and 
always keep plenty in reserve. Above all, never shout. If 
you want to emphasize, let it be by intensity rather than loud¬ 
ness. If you know how, you can make a whisper far more 
startling than the loudest whoop. If you ever have the good 
fortune to hear this kind of a delivery you will at once know 
what I mean. With this kind of a speaker his most moving 
passages are no louder than the main current of his discourse. 
But unconsciously he puts an intensity—I know no other word 
for it—behind the passages he feels most, and the effect upon 
his audience is instantaneous. Intensity is replied to by inten¬ 
sity. I remember a peroration of a certain speaker of this type 
that impressed me very much at the time, and I have often 
thought of it since. He had been recounting what he hoped 
to do in the field of Social Reform with the income which 
would be placed at the country’s disposal by the Budget of 
1909-10. The audience consisted of a couple of thousand work¬ 
ing men in one of the poorer parts of South London. He 
concluded something like this: “In my country, when the 
people look out of a morning and see the mist rolling away 
above the mountain tops, they say, ‘It is going to be a fine 
day.’ ” Leaning forward with a smile upon his face, and 


258 


THE MASTER KEY 


with marked but quiet emphasis and great deliberation, he 
said: “Gentlemen, it is going to be a fine day ” 

I have often recalled the scene. Just a small man, a small 
but very musical voice, and a hopelessly commonplace sentence 
upon which to sit down. And yet a scene of enthusiasm the 
like of which I have rarely seen equalled at the close of any 
speech. I recall the incident now for a purpose. If you must 
perorate—and for the life of me I don’t see why—let it be 
simple and unaffected. And if you must perorate in poetry, 
let it be not more than four lines, learn them by heart, and 
study their delivery well beforehand. 

GESTURE IN PUBLIC SPEAKING. 

And this brings me to the question of gesture. I don’t 
think you should study gesture. Let it take care of itself. 
Of course, there is no need to stand stock-still like a lay-figure. 
If you do that you will rob your speech of much of its effective¬ 
ness. But, on the other hand, don’t set out to accompany 
your words with appropriate gesture. If you do you will not 
disguise the staginess of it all, and your opinions will be dis¬ 
counted. Just be natural, and before you know where you 
are the probability is that you will find yourself clenching your 
fist and smiting the table quite sufficiently for the peace of 
mind of your audience. If you must go in for scientific train¬ 
ing I would rather you took courses of lessons in voice pro¬ 
duction than in histrionics. 

Gesture will always depend on the temperament. You 
may learn a few swings and movements with the arms, hands 
and head, but they won’t help you much. 

The only gesture in my opinion which enhances the value 
of a speech is the natural and unconscious gesture. 

Be careful, when you undertake to make a speech, to ascer¬ 
tain precisely how long you are expected to speak, and who 
and how many other speakers there will be. There is nothing 
more disconcerting than to come with a carefully prepared 
speech of half an hour’s duration and find that you will be 
allowed five minutes. Indeed, I know nothing that will tax 
the resources of the practiced speaker more shrewdly than 
this will. In such a case as this he will probably be well advised 
not to take the notes of the speech he intended to make out 
of his pocket. 


THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING 


259 


Under no circumstances should you assume a self-deprecia¬ 
tory air. It is curious how many people open a speech with 
something like this: “I haven’t the faintest idea why I have 
been asked to speak to this Resolution. I can imagine no one 
less qualified to do so than myself.” Now that's all nonsense. 
If you really felt that you ought to have sent an apology. 
The fact is you are nervous and self-conscious. But you 
needn’t tell everybody. They’ll probably find it out soon 
enough. 

But don’t let nervousness disconcert you. Quite the con¬ 
trary. Indeed, if you have never been nervous on the public 
platform you have never made a really effective speech. If 
you have no susceptibility in your nature you can give up 
public speaking. You may be clear, lucid, forcible and even 
convincing. But the man who follows you and can touch 
the hearts as well as the heads of his audience will—even 
though he be nervous as a kitten—have beaten you on the 
show of hands. All our great orators confess to their 
moments of nervousness even after many years of platform 
experience. 

As regards the substance of your speech let me say a 
word. Let the diction be as simple as possible, and don’t 
wander off into long and involved sentences. If you do the 
probability is that you will tire your audience without complet¬ 
ing your sentences. Remember, you have neither Mr. Glad¬ 
stone’s marvelous command of language nor his magnificent 
power of clear, consecutive thinking; neither have you Bob 
Ingersoll’s eloquence and wit. Let your illustrations be home¬ 
ly and apposite; and if you feel the need to lighten the texture 
of your discourse with an anecdote, do for goodness’ sake 
let it arise naturally. Don’t start out determined to drag in 
a particular story. That is most inartistic. Humor is admira¬ 
ble if not overdone. But unless you are a professional humor¬ 
ist don’t start out determined to be funny. And unless you 
are fairly experienced and know your audience, be sparing 
with the oratorical question. If you start out with “Why 
am I here tonight”? you must not be surprised if some one 
impishly replies, “The Lord only knows.” You will find the 
oratorical question grows upon you. Only the other night a 
roguish lodge member explained at the dinner table the num¬ 
ber of times he could have “laid me out”—to use his own 
expression—by replying to the oratorical questions I had put 


260 


THE MASTER KEY 


in a speech at a meeting from which we had just come. He 
appeared to contemplate ruefully his lost opportunities. 

Be very careful how you handle interruptions; and remem¬ 
ber they are quite as likely to come from a friend who is try¬ 
ing to help you as from an enemy. Many speakers are not 
able entirely to practice what they preach in this respect. In¬ 
stinctively they treat all interruptions as hostile. It is a great 
mistake. They must have offended many an honest friend 
by this failing. 

Never argue with an interrupter. If you don’t think you 
can give him a Roland for an Oliver in the shape of a short, 
sharp retort, let the interruption go unnoticed. If you can 
get home with a really clever and apt retort , do. Your stock 
will go up at once as a speaker. American people greatly 
relish a prompt return. Many a man owes more to a nimble- 
witted reply to an interruption than to many labored orations. 
But you must always be good-tempered. Never sneer, and 
never hit below the belt . If you are not prepared to tackle 
an interrupter, who evidently means to disconcert you, politely 
ask him to defer his questions until your speech is ended, when, 
if you can, you will be glad to answer him. This may not 
satisfy him, but the sense of fair-play is so strong in the 
average American audience that he will see the wisdom of 
accepting your suggestion. 

But now a word or two on the debating reply. Excel¬ 
lence as a debater is, in my opinion, the last word in public 
speaking. You may excel in a set oration given a certain 
amount of time for preparation, a certain amount of practice, 
and certain fairly commonplace qualifications. But to excel 
in debate is quite another story. You need great concentra¬ 
tion, great experience, great assurance, great readiness; and 
it is here you will break down if you become too much the slave 
of your “notes” on other occasions. You will have become 
so accustomed to lean on your “notes” that you will go to 
pieces without them. For, of course, in debate you can only 
scribble down a few points from the preceding speech or 
speeches, and here the powers of concentration and discrimina¬ 
tion are invaluable. Most practiced speakers listening to a 
speech can follow it in such a way as to reply more or less 
effectually to it point by point. Some few can at once analyze 
it as a whole, expose its fallacies, lay bare its false premises, 
and ridicule its weak conclusions. They can, in a word, riddle 


THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING 261 

the whole fabric of a speech with a single shaft of scorching 
criticism. 

I am afraid it is no use trying to teach some how to become 
a good debater. You may have great experience as a speaker 
and then fail in the thrust and parry of debate. You need, 
as I say, to be as quick as lightning, cool and collected to a 
degree, and as ready with your tongue as a comedian. To 
reply to a big debate in the United States Senate, to reply 
effectually, and to wind your speech up on the stroke of eleven 
—even though the time at your disposal may vary between 
twenty-five and forty minutes—is unquestionably the most 
severe test of all-around capacity to which any public man can 
be subjected. And I am always filled with admiration when 
I remember how well the task is almost invariably performed. 

DONT’S FOR PUBLIC SPEAKERS. 

Don’t rely on the belief that you are a born orator. Hard 
work and concentration is the only precursor of success here 
as elsewhere. 

Don’t fail to study with great care the other side of the 
proposition you propose to present. 

Don’t expect to say anything worth listening to if your only 
preparation is to scribble a few notes on the back of an envelope 
during the time the Chairman is introducing you. 

Don’t shout, don’t wave your arms about like a windmill, 
and don’t upset the water bottle. 

Don’t ever get a “cheap” laugh. Don’t call an interrupter 
an ignoramus or a fool. Neither of these is precisely the soft 
answer that turneth away wrath. 

Don’t scratch your head or rub your nose more than you 
can help. 

Don’t fumble with your watch-chain, and don’t pull your 
waist-coat down more than two or three times. 

Don’t quote poetry unless you know it by heart, and then 
quote very little of it. 

Don’t perorate. Or, if you do, let it be short, simple and 
unaffected. Remember the ridiculous is always on the heels 
of the sublime. 

Don’t ever expect any sane audience to listen to you on any 
subject for more than an hour. Except on very special occa- 


262 THE MASTER KEY 

sions you should never speak more than from a quarter to half 
an hour. 

Don’t go on after you have finished. Sit right down. 
Many a first-class speech is spoiled because of the inability of 
the speaker to sit down. 

Don’t, if you mean to succeed in politics, get the reputa¬ 
tion of being funny. That will be fatal. 

Don’t talk too fast. Your audience is probably where you 
were when you began to read the subject up. 

Don’t deliver the speech you intended to deliver if called 
on after ten o’clock p. m. 

Don’t reply to a vote of thanks with more than “Thank 
you very much indeed.” No matter how enthusiastic the audi¬ 
ence may have been over your speech, it doesn’t want another 
—just yet. 

Don’t lean against the table with your legs crossed. Don’t 
stand with one foot on your chair. In fact, let the chair alone. 

Don’t attempt to out-shout a noisy meeting. At the first 
lull in the storm get in a quick, quiet, arresting sentence, and 
follow it up quietly and rapidly every time you see an opening. 

Don’t get fidgety if the Secretary leans over and whispers 
to the Chairman. And don’t show annoyance if any mem¬ 
bers of the audience should get up and go out. 

Don’t forget the speech you timed for half an hour will 
usually run into forty minutes. 

Don’t do more than take a very occasional sip from the 
glass of water on the Chairman’s table. And don’t do that 
when the action, taken in conjunction with the statement you 
have just made, is calculated to raise a laugh. 

Don’t, if a time-table has been arranged, allocating a cer¬ 
tain amount of time to your speech, under any circumstances 
exceed your limit. It is most unfair to the others. 

Don’t fail to appreciate the significance of the emphasis 
when the Chairman calls upon you briefly to support the 
motion. 

Don’t, when your speech has already run into considerable 
length, mistake a gentle but well sustained tapping on the floor 
with feet, walking-sticks and umbrellas as necessarily a mark 
of approval. It is more likely to denote impatience. 

Don’t assume that a silent, attentive audience is unsym¬ 
pathetic. It may be paying you the highest tribute when it 
refrains from breaking in upon your remarks with applause. 


THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING 


263 


Don’t leave your notes on the Chairman’s table when the 
meeting is over. You may want them again. 

Don’t, if you can avoid it, hand any manuscript down to 
the reporters’ table. Let somebody else do it for you. 

Don’t fussily correct every small mispresentation of your 
view in the press. Remember the art of severe condensation 
is not an easy one. 

Don’t forget that in the heat of controversy it is very easy 
to impute wrong motives. 

Don’t let your enthusiasm for a cause lead you to believe 
that the advocates of the other side must necessarily be evily- 
disposed persons. 

Don’t forget that a man may vehemently oppose your view 
and still remain a Christian gentleman. 

Don’t forget that you are not the Chairman. It is he, 
and not you, who is responsible for the conduct of the meeting. 
Defer to him in everything. 

Don’t be personal under any circumstances. 

Don’t try to explain away an indiscretion by blaming the 
reporter. 

Don’t, if at a public meeting, ever go on the assumption 
that no reporters are present. It won’t help you afterwards 
to explain that you were not aware that reporters were present. 
That, I consider, is the feeblest form of excuse. 

Don’t lose your temper. Whatever befall, keep smiling. 


31;f iHaatfr 2C«j 

CHAPTER XXIX. 

LESSON TWENTY-SEVEN. 

CONCENTRATION USED IN COMPOSING A 
PUBLIC SPEECH. 

Given one’s subject the first thing to consider in the com¬ 
position of a speech is the composition of one’s audience; 
the subject may be the same, but the selection of words needed 
must vary with circumstances. 

This can only be determined by concentration. The flow¬ 
ing periods and well-turned sentences, for instance, which might 
delight an audience at some anniversary banquet would, to use 
a common phrase, be “over the heads” of the members of a 
working men’s club, and when a speech is over the heads of an 
audience one may be quite sure that those who have come to 
hear will either go to sleep or depart in scornful wrath before 
the orator or lecturer has reached his peroration. The speaker 
should use no phrases, no words, which cannot be easily under¬ 
stood. I often wonder how much ordinary audiences can 
grasp of certain speeches and addresses which I read in the 
newspapers, so involved are their sentences, so hidden away 
in a mass of superfluous detail is the single shining truth which 
they are intended to place before those who hear them. Not 
that I favor the idea of speaking down to one’s audience; the 
man who thinks that the intelligence of his hearers is vastly 
inferior to his own is usually a very unintelligent person him¬ 
self. There is plenty of intelligence in every American audi¬ 
ence, but very often the language in which it is addressed might 
be Greek. Clearness of style is as essential in the preparation 
of a speech as clearness of utterance in its delivery. In 
Matthew Aronold’s words, “Have something to say, and say 
it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret of style.” 

In political life it is an axiom that what is known as “the 
264 


COMPOSING A PUBLIC SPEECH 


265 


platform manner” is as unsuited to the United States Senate 
as the style favored by that assembly when it allows speeches 
to be made, is unsuited to the feverish times of a general 
election. 

It is in everyday life that you must lay the foundations of 
success in the art of speaking. Set your ideas, your impres¬ 
sions, your feelings in order. Think of certain facts and 
weave them into a story. Imagine situations and think how 
they can be told to an audience. Mental work is not enough. 
You must speak aloud when you are alone, in your house or in 
your garden. You must forge a mass of phrases for your¬ 
self, rehearse them, keep some, discard others, and always go 
on manufacturing new ones. Speak aloud, think aloud—those 
are two golden rules! 

In ordinary everyday conversation many people, and they 
are by no means unintelligent or badly educated, neglect the 
way to express their thoughts. Their vocabulary is limited 
to a certain number of words which they utter a number of 
times, varied by a certain number of stock phrases. The 
would-be orator must extend his vocabulary, and this can only 
be done by reading the works of the masters of literature. 

To get accustomed to the sound of your own voice—that 
somewhat alarming thing to beginners—it is a good plan to 
read aloud, say twenty lines at a time, of some familiar author, 
very carefully and very slowly, giving every syllable in every 
word its due value and correct pronunciation. Nervousness 
is a disease which tortures those afflicted by it. Many men 
whose intelligence and zeal have destined them for the most 
brilliant careers remain obscure, solely because they are unable 
to control themselves in public sufficiently to give expression 
to their thoughts before their fellow men. But it is a disease 
which can be cured by concentration and perseverance. Re¬ 
hearse your speech aloud, to yourself first of all; then call in 
some good friend to hear you; thus you will get accustomed 
to the sound of your own voice. When you go on the plat¬ 
form, look at your audience before your turn comes to speak— 
you will seldom be the first—and firmly concentrate your 
mind upon your audience and what you are going to say. 

Most great orators have suffered from nervousness at the 
outset of a speech, but the feeling quickly wears off, and, of 
course, in oratory, as in everything else, practice helps towards 
some degree of perfection. 


266 


THE MASTER KEY 


Speak slowly, punctuating your remarks rather freely. 
Everything has its importance in your opening sentences; the 
more your audience understands them the more it will be 
interested in what follows. 

The great art of speaking distinctly is vital to success in 
every walk of life, and it cannot be cultivated at too early a 
period of one’s education. 

Good diction is a sine qua non to those who desire to speak 
in public. With real orators, who are rare, indeed, certain 
qualities of the first rank may compensate for their defects, but 
the more these qualities are lacking the more it is necessary 
to learn everything that can be learned in the art of speaking, 
and even those orators who are the most richly endowed by 
nature cannot apply themselves too assiduously to perfect 
themselves in their art. Study diction in order to speak well. 
Speaking is one of the functions which we use most often. 
Why should we neglect it, even if we have only one person 
to listen to us ? Admitting that we have no moral or material 
interest in winning his sympathy or in convincing him of the 
truth of what we are telling him, it is surely only polite that 
he should be saved the trouble of stretching his ears or strain¬ 
ing his attention to hear what we are saying. 

The student should study diction in order to read well. 
Reading aloud is an excellent way of passing an hour of the 
evening in the family circle. Thus are introduced, as friends 
of the house, poets, philosophers, historians, novelists. Some 
may prefer the musicians to these magic-workers, and you can 
admit the preference, but at the same time agree that many 
years of study are necessary before the violin or the piano 
are tolerable, before even the most indulgent home-critics, 
while good diction is comparatively easy, or at least sufficiently 
good to read clearly and enable us thereby to communicate 
to our friends some of the beauties which we ourselves are 
enjoying. 

Distinctness of utterance can only be acquired by cultiva¬ 
tion, by taking pains. The learner should be advised not to. 
be afraid of opening his mouth; the voice need not be loud, 
so long as the words are enunciated clearly. Clipping of con¬ 
sonants and slovenly slurring over of syllables should be 
avoided; the suppression of the final “g” is surely reprehen¬ 
sible, as great a crime, as the dropping of the aspirate. To 
speak with distinction is given to few, but to speak dis- 


COMPOSING A PUBLIC SPEECH 


267 


tinctly is an accomplishment as easily acquired by the dullard 
as the genius. Surely it is not utterly outside the range of 
possibility that the art of speaking distinctly may beget the art 
of speaking with distinction. Distinction is latent in some 
of us, but distinct utterance is patent. It is interesting to take 
Shakespeare's lines on the “Seven Ages of Man ” and to see 
how well they can be applied to the foregoing remarks on the 
necessity of clear enunciation. 

First the Infant. —When our children cry, we may grumble, 
but we have at least the satisfaction of knowing that their lungs 
are sound, and good lungs give promise of ripe soil whereon 
to grow the power of fine oratory in the future. 

Then the whining Schoolboy. —The boy who answers clear¬ 
ly and readily is invariably preferred to the one who does not. 
Many a punishment is escaped by the boy who dashes boldly 
at some horribly intricate piece of viva voce work, while he 
who mumbles and hesitates is lost! 

Then the Lover. —Surely the man who woos can only win 
by speaking up, while he who stammers out the tale of his love 
remains a bachelor to the end! 

Then the Soldier .—To him, indeed, distinctness in giving 
words of command, or in issuing verbal instructions to sub¬ 
ordinates, must be of the very first importance. Skobeleff 
used to say that unless an officer could speak to his men they 
would never follow him. Many a battle has been lost by the 
misunderstanding of verbal instructions, the result of faulty 
diction. 

Then the Justice. —The judge who puts the case to the jury 
with clearness of diction and distinct enunciation is always an 
honor to the bench, even if he be a little shaky in his law; 
but he who mumbles and mouths his charge tries the jury 
as well as the prisoner. 

The Sixth Age. —You will always find that, however shrill 
the piping treble of the old man, it will be clear as a bell, if he 
were taught to speak distinctly in his youth, and early atten¬ 
tion to the elementary rules of distinct utterance will maintain 
resonance of tones in the voice of one who is playing his 
part in “the last scene of all, that ends this strange eventful 
history.” 

Cultivation of the art of speaking distinctly is the very 
first principle of all oratory. Without it “winged words” 
are of no avail, and the periods over which we have spent so 


268 


THE MASTER KEY 


many hours of study are best left undelivered—save, perhaps, 
in the form of MS. for the reporters. 

It is not necessary to shout—your slightest whisper will be 
heard if you articulate properly, and if you remember that in 
every audience there is probably one old lady who is slightly 
deaf of one ear. 

You will not be able to read well or speak well unless you 
breathe properly. The secret of breathing properly is to keep 
the lungs well filled with air, not expending more breath at 
any given moment than is absolutely necessary, and refilling 
them at every possible opportunity. 

After distinct articulation and correct pronunciation comes 
expression, without which all reading or speaking must be 
unintelligent. Expression depends largely upon proper atten¬ 
tion to modulation of the voice, to emphasis on the right word 
or phrase, and to pause. 

By modulation of voice I mean the passing from one key 
to another, showing changes of sentiment, changes of thought. 
To acquire modulation, it is a good thing to practice reading 
dialogue and dramatic scenes, when you will easily see that 
the voice must be modulated to suit the different characters. 

Emphasis means the marking by the voice of such words 
or phrases or sentences as you consider the most important. 
This you can do in various ways; by an increase of stress upon 
a particular word or sentence, by variation of tone, or by vary¬ 
ing the time of the enunciation of the words. Correctness 
of emphasis must, of course, depend upon the intelligence of 
the speaker, for, if he understands his subject right through, 
he cannot fail to note the right words to emphasize. In¬ 
correct emphasis will make a sentence ludicrous. For ex¬ 
ample, every one probably knows the story of the nervous 
curate, who, on reading the words, “And he said unto his 
son, Saddle me the ass, and he saddled him,” read it thus, 
“Saddle me the ass.” Being reproved by his rector, who 
pointed out that the word ass was the one on which emphasis 
should be placed, the curate, to be on the safe side, added 
yet another emphasis, and an amused congregation heard the 
passage read thus: “Saddle me the ass, so they saddled him!” 

The value of pause is three-fold. It enables you to get 
breath, and, as I said before, to keep the lungs well filled with 
air; it gives your audience time to consider the full meaning 
of what you have been saying; and it serves for extra emphasis. 


COMPOSING A PUBLIC SPEECH 269 

In this connection I will quote the words of Froude, in illus¬ 
trating Cardinal Newman's power as a preacher. 

Froude relates that on one occasion Newman, who was at 
that time vicar of St. Mary's Oxford, had been describing some 
of the incidents of Our Lord's Passion. “At this point,” he 
says, “he paused.” For a few moments there was a breathless 
silence. Then, in a low, clear voice, of which the faintest 
vibration was heard in the farthest corner of St. Mary's came 
the words, {c Now, I bid you to recollect that He to whom these 
things were done was Almighty God." It was as if an electric 
stroke had gone through the church, as if every person present 
understood for the first time the meaning of what he had all 
his life been saying. I suppose it was an epoch in the mental 
history of more than one of my Oxford contemporaries. 

Among actors of our time, none understood the value of 
pause more than the late Henry Irving, who never failed to 
give it extraordinary significance. It was said of his delivery 
of certain speeches that the very pauses had eloquence. 

Next to distinctness, and almost equal in importance, is the 
art of speaking fluently and with conviction. 

Cicero says, “There are three things to be aimed at in 
speaking—to instruct, to please and to affect powerfully.” And 
again, “To be worthy of the proud title of orator, requires an 
ability to put into words any question that may arise, with 
good sense and a proper arrangement of the subject; further, 
your speech, when spoken from memory, should be ornate in 
style and accompanied by dignified action befitting the topic.” 

Let us turn once more to Shakespeare, and we shall find in 
Hamlet's advice to the players many wise hints, invaluable not 
only to the actor, but to the politician, to the lawyer, to the 
doctor, to the business man, and to all who take part in public, 
or, for that matter, private discussions. 

Fluency, the use of suitable gestures, proper emphasis— 
all these are touched upon in this wonderful address, and all 
can be acquired by assiduous practice. The question of gesture, 
though perhaps a side-issue, is very important. In acting, the 
hand plays as vital a part as the brain. A clever, well-con¬ 
sidered performance is often marred because the actor is too 
restless of hand or foot—perhaps of both! This is in a lesser 
degree often the case with public speakers. 

Verify your references and quotations. A false reference 
in a speech has often as tragic consequences as a false reference 


270 


THE MASTER KEY 


to a butler, and to a man of taste—there is always at least one 
in every audience—a garbled quotation is as horrible a thing 
as the individual who wears brown boots with a dress suit. 
Your ideas may be wrong—none of us are infallible, not even 
the youngest of us—and much may be forgiven to the man 
with any fresh ideas, but carelessness in the preparation of a 
speech is unforgivable. 

And now let me insist, with all the force that in me lies, 
that in speaking, or in preaching, or in acting, the only real 
bond which joins man to man is sympathy, and without sin¬ 
cerity and conviction that bond of sympathy cannot exist. 

“Cor ad cor loquitur ”—heart speaks to heart. However 
lost a cause may seem, it is never wholly lost as long as it is 
defended with sincerity and conviction. 

“Si vis me fiere, dolendum est 
“Primum ipsi tibi.”* 

The barrister pleading for his client’s life, the statesman 
defending an unpopular cause in a hostile House or Senate, 
the business man addressing a stormy meeting of shareholders, 
the actor playing an unusually bad part before an exasperating- 
ly critical audience, all these can triumph, if they but show that 
they believe what they are saying, and, even if they fail, we 
can say of them that they were Faithful Failures. 

Having mastered his subject, the question of the best meth¬ 
od to become acquainted with all the points of his speech must 
be left to the individual. Some speakers, and they among 
the greatest, learn their speeches by heart; others make a bare 
outline of what they want to say within their minds, and only 
give their thoughts concrete form before their audience; others, 
again, improvise as they go along. The first system is the 
safest, at any rate for beginners—write out your speech and 
then learn it by heart. But it has its disadvantages. What often 
happens is this: a man knows every word of his speech by 
heart to his own satisfaction, but in the presence of an audience 
something goes wrong; he may forget his opening sentence, 
which is the keynote to what is to follow—and again I must 
repeat, the opening is everything—then he stammers, and 
seeks another phrase, but too often the thread of his argu¬ 
ment is lost, and it is a long time before he gets on terms with 


* “Those who would make us feel must feel themselves.’ 



COMPOSING A PUBLIC SPEECH 


271 


himself. Thus it does not do to trust too much to one’s 
memory. A few notes consulted from time to time will save 
a speaker much tribulation, but the less often he has to consult 
them the better, for, in the reading, his gestures, his play of 
features are lost upon the audience, and the less he has to do 
with a bundle of papers the better. The Roman Catholic 
Church, for instance, teaches its priests to dispense with notes 
in the delivery of their sermons, and the Scottish Church, the 
parish ministers of which are elected by popular vote, does 
not encourage them. (c But he reads!” has sometimes been the 
indignant comment on the merits of a sermon by a young can¬ 
didate, from whom, however, many a mumbling curate might 
take a lesson in clearness of utterance. 

Every speech, like every dog, should have a head, a middle 
and a tail, and it should be remembered by every orator, how¬ 
ever practiced in his art, that he must, “Above all, spend spe¬ 
cial pains on your peroration—you never know how soon you 
will require it ” 

Be careful, too, to suit your wit to your audience; an ill- 
considered jest, harmless enough in itself, has cost its per¬ 
petrator very dear before now. There is the warning instance 
of the London barrister, who, in his courtship of a Scottish 
constituency, made a jesting allusion to the haggis. It was 
held that an insult to the national delicacy showed want of 
taste in more ways than one, and a vote of no confidence in 
the candidate was promptly passed. 

Further, I would offer this advice to the young orator: 
When you are before your audience you must banish from 
your mind all the thousand and one details of the art of speak¬ 
ing. You must speak sufficiently loud to be heard, sufficiently 
clearly to be understood, and sufficiently naturally not to give an 
impression of finicky superiority. But you must forget all 
such details as I have laid stress upon in the foregoing pages— 
emphasis, pause, punctuation, gesture —these must come natu¬ 
rally, or your discourse will seem stilted and artificial and 
devoid of inspiration. 

Do not exaggerate the importance of your own defects. 
The more you develop your good qualities the less will these 
defects displease. What your audience wants is to be inter¬ 
ested, to be moved. But do not stop at merely pleasing it; 
try to give it something to think about and talk about long- 
after the next day’s newspaper is a back number. If you 


272 


THE MASTER KEY 


wish to be a real artist in words or in letters, you must never 
weary of study and concentration on these subjects. The more 
you learn the more you will wish to learn. In Leonardo da 
Vinci's phrase —-‘The more we know, the more we love” 
Finally, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, “Make your speech 
with malice towards none, with charity for all, with firmness 
in the right, as God gives us to see the right/’ and always 
bear in mind those noble words of St. Paul, “Whatsoever 
things are true, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things 
are pure, whatsoever things are amiable, whatsoever things 
are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any 
praise, have these in your mind, let your thoughts run upon 
these,” 


OJli? Mn&tn 

CHAPTER XXX. 

LESSON TWENTY-EIGHT. 

AFTER DINNER SPEECH. 
PERSONALITY OF THE SPEAKER. 

In a consideration of Oratory I shall include, not only the 
spoken word, but that intangible, elusive and dominant quality 
which we call the personality of the speaker. It is frequently 
referred to as magnetism *, but however it may be described it 
is the mysterious power in an orator which charms and coerces 
his audience and causes it to applaud sentiments with which 
it may not have the slightest sympathy. As we read a speech 
of long ago, which seems cold and lifeless upon the printed 
page, we wonder how the audience in listening to it could 
have been moved to tears or laughter, to indignation or scorn, 
to outbursts of frenzied delight or to a display of grim 
determination. Was the effect produced by a peculiarly attrac¬ 
tive quality in the voice, by an unusual mastery of expression, 
by some subtle power of understanding and interpretation, or 
was it indeed produced at all ? In our perplexity we read some 
of the passages again, and finding that they only provoke a 
languid interest, conclude that contemporary judgment was 
wrong, or that audiences then were far less critical and far 
more demonstrative than they are in our own time. It would 
be an erroneous conclusion, however, because of our failure 
to realize how different is the quiet and tranquil atmosphere of 
the study from that of the banqueting hall, the legislative 
chamber, or the crowded public meeting. Imagine the eager 
throng, the upturned faces, the absorbed attention, the vibrant 
air and the tumultuous applause, all reacting upon the speaker 

♦See Chapter XXVII., Lesson Twenty-five “Personal Magnetism Ob¬ 
tained By Concentration.” 


273 



274 


THE MASTER KEY 


so that he gave something of himself to his audience which 
cannot be recaptured and reproduced—and the miracle is ex¬ 
plained. 

Oratory has been defined as “The art of making speeches; 
highly colored presentment of facts; eloquent or exaggerating 
language The definition is inadequate and misleading, since 
it only accentuates that meretricious kind of oratory which 
may dazzle with its rhetoric, but whose spell is broken when 
the last word is spoken. The people as they disperse gossip 
about the opera or the latest novel, or the next baseball contest, 
about anything and everything except the speech itself, which 
they have already forgotten. 

The examples of the best oratory with which I am 
familiar are characterized by moderation and restraint instead 
of by exaggeration, and evidently depended for their effect 
upon under-statement rather than upon over-emphasis. The 
lurid and rhetorical and sensational style of speaking may 
please the thoughtless, but the really great orator knows the 
value of sober utterance clothed in noble diction. 

The statement is frequently made that oratory has lost its 
power, and that, with the spread of education and the multi¬ 
plication of newspapers and magazines and books, men and 
women have become so well informed that they no longer care 
to listen to speeches. May it not be, however, that instead 
of a waning interest in oratory there has been in recent years a 
notable lack of great orators? 

Commenting upon speakers in the United States Senate a 
Washington correspondent for a large newspaper stated it was 
an usual happening to hear an eloquent speech at the National 
Capital. But eloquence, like genius, is a thing apart, and there 
were very few men in any generation who possessed the great 
gift. There was plenty of rhetoric, but eloquence was fire, and 
rhetoric even at its best was only fireworks. Three things 
were essential to good speaking; the first was elocution; the 
second was that the speaker should think only of his speech, 
and absolutely forget himself, and the third quality was readi¬ 
ness—resource in impromptu speaking. The really good 
speech, which it was a pleasure to read as well as to listen to, 
was impossible without previous preparation/' 

Never, I am satisfied, were people more eager than they 
are today to listen to one who has really something to say, 
and who knows how to say it, and never were they less in- 


AFTER DINNER SPEECH 


275 


dined to be tolerant with the mere clever phrasing of platitudes 
and commonplaces. The present age is so practical, so direct 
in its methods, and so impatient for quick results, that the 
orator embodying the spirit of his time is apt to present his 
theme in such a bald form, and with such an entire absence of 
embellishment as to make it about as interesting as a business 
man’s report of an unprofitable trade year. 

The style of oratory has changed radically since the time 
when a speech was received with little favor, unless it was 
long, and abounded in classical quotations and familiar allu¬ 
sions. It was a style of oratory which was adapted to those 
who refused to be hurried, who disliked surprises, and who in¬ 
sisted that the speaker should approach his conclusions by easy 
and gradual stages. The winding path of oratory, disclosing 
now and again pleasant views, and thereby stimulating the 
desire for the final revelation, has given place to the broad 
highway along which the speaker travels, passing the mile¬ 
stones as rapidly as possible so that he may quickly reach his 
goal. 

The aim of modern oratory would seem to be to discover 
the shortest possible distance between premise and conclusion. 
Long sentences and many-syllabled words have gone with the 
old stage coach and the slow-moving sailing vessel. We must 
talk quickly now, or our destination will be reached before 
we have finished our sentence. 

There are many varieties of oratory, and it seldom happens 
that distinction is won in all the departments of this great art. 
The platform speaker, whose words are received with raptur¬ 
ous applause by listeners who agree with him, but who lack 
his facile speech, his sonorous voice, and his self-confidence, 
may prove to be a very pathetic and tragic figure if he 
endeavors to win favor in Congress by employing the devices 
which endear him to his constituency. The audience is more 
discriminating, less sympathetic, quick to detect a false note, 
and easily fatigued. Impassioned appeals fall on trained ears. 
The hum of conversation and the departure of members are 
not reassuring. Finally, the only thing the orator is conscious 
of is an insistent desire that he should sit down and commune 
with himself. 

So much has been said of oratory generally because of its 
pertinence to after-dinner speaking, and yet that branch of the 
art occupies a very distinct and separate place; a unique place 


276 


THE MASTER KEY 


indeed, and one which seems to be little understood. Is it 
not strange that man who would hesitate to address a great 
gathering of people does not seem to have the slightest hesi¬ 
tancy in making, or trying to make, an after-dinner speech? 
He apparently believes that anything will suffice on such an 
occasion, and so, after expressing gratitude for the manner 
in which his toast has been proposed, and surprise, as well he 
might, at the good-will with which his name has been re¬ 
ceived, begins at once to flounder in a sea of trivialities and 
futilities, until, with one final gasp, he sinks beneath the waves, 
accompanied by the fervent prayer of all his victims that he 
may never recover sufficiently from the shock to feel encouraged 
to make another attempt. If asked at any time between the 
soup and the savory, men wholly unaccustomed to public 
speaking will readily undertake to talk on a subject of which 
they may have only the vaguest knowledge. They give the 
impression that their idea of an after-dinner speech is a series 
of pauses, united by a poverty of thought. They indulge in 
numerous tedious excursions, and only occasionally return 
to their theme as if it were something to be avoided rather 
than to be embraced. Nothing is more fatiguing than to be 
addressed by an after-dinner speaker who wanders aimlessly 
about in a labyrinth of words, becoming more hopelessly 
entangled with each sentence he utters until, finding no way 
to extricate himself, he brings his remarks to a close in a mere 
splutter of sounds. 

TYPES OF AFTER-DINNER SPEAKERS. 

What a great diversity do we find in the types of after- 
dinner speakers. We have the man, for example, who makes 
the most thorough preparation, writing out word for word what 
he desires to say and memorizing it. His speech, however 
well it may read in the newspaper next morning, will be a 
failure when it is delivered, unless he can give his audience the 
impression that he is not simply performing a feat of recollec¬ 
tion, but that he is actually developing his speech in their pres¬ 
ence, and to some extent at least through the inspiration of their 
attention and interest. 

Then there is the man who thinks that if he is only funny 
nothing more will be required of him. How few men really 
possess what Lowell calls “that saving sense of humor It is 


AFTER DINNER SPEECH 


277 


a rare gift, which the gods have sparingly bestowed, and one 
who really has it is never compelled to bend his speech in order 
to bring in an anecdote which a succession of audiences have 
attempted to laugh at for many years. The merely funny 
after-dinner speaker usually tells irrelevant and incongruous 
stories to which he attempts to give a resemblance of reality 
by relating them as personal experiences. 

There is also the sentimental speaker, so sentimental indeed 
that he almost weeps as he refers to the scenes of his childhood, 
or the University at which he matriculated, but which probably 
never gave him a degree, or alludes to the ties that bind him 
to a particular locality which in all likelihood welcomed his 
departure, but to the memory of which he clings with a fervor 
that seems to grow in intensity through the years. 

The after-dinner speaker must not be forgotten, either, who 
simply has a voice, strong and robust, and who mouths his 
words, evidently thinking it is sound that carries conviction 
rather than clearness and strength of thought. 

We have, too, the flippant and buoyant after-dinner speaker 
who goes carelessly to his fate imagining that when he is on 
his feet not only will ideas come to him, but also the appro¬ 
priate language in which to express them. He suddenly dis¬ 
covers that he is without a prop of any sort, that there is noth¬ 
ing before him but a vast expanse of vacancy, and sits down 
weak and limp with the consciousness that he had nothing to 
say and that he said it. 

We cannot afford to overlook the pompous after-dinner 
speaker who never rises above the dull level of mediocrity, 
and who exasperates all who listen to him by the bombastic 
way in which he utters trivial thoughts. He is enamored of 
himself, and so colossal is his egotism that he honestly be¬ 
lieves he has a message to deliver which people are impatient 
to hear. Rebuffs do not make the slightest impression upon 
him. If his audience fails to appreciate his remarks he at¬ 
tributes the failure to ignorance and poor taste. 

Of all after-dinner speakers the one who does not know 
when to quit is the most irritating. He recalls the little 
boy who was accustomed to say his prayers at his mother’s 
side. He had prayed on one occasion for his father and 
mother, his brothers and sisters, his nurse and his favorite 
dog, and then immediately proceeded to pray for them all 
again, and, still not satisfied, began to plead for a third time 


278 


THE MASTER KEY 


that blessings might be showered upon him. His mother 
remarked that he had certainly prayed enough, and told him 
to jump into bed. He drowsily replied that he had forgotten 
the word to stop it with. When she said “Amen” his devo¬ 
tions promptly ceased. This is the trouble with so many after- 
dinner speakers—they have forgotten the word to stop their 
remarks with, and so they go on aimlessly and interminably 
in the hope that they will suddenly find it. They seldom do so, 
however, as there is no kind Providence watching over them. 

There can hardly be a greater bore than the after-dinner 
speaker who mistakes the occasion, who talks about the beauties 
of a world-wide peace at a dinner given by the Navy League, 
or eulogizes the advantages of a vegetarian diet at a stock 
breeders’ banquet. He talks with facility, and does not seem 
to understand the impatience of his hearers. 

This is the age of short poems, short stories and short 
speeches. It is the age, therefore, of the after-dinner orator. 
If he produces any effect at all it must be instantaneous. He 
cannot console himself with the reflection that if he has an 
attractive exordium and a brilliant peroration it matters very 
little what goes between. When an address is limited to a 
few minutes it must be all excellent or it will be received 
with little favor. There is no time to get under way. One 
must capture his audience at once or he will lose it forever. 
The opening sentence or two determines his fate. A color¬ 
less beginning means a tragic ending. It seems incredible that 
our forefathers could have listened to speeches for an hour or 
two and wanted more. If a sermon is not finished within 
twenty minutes it is criticised today for its extreme length. 
We may not be less spiritual than the people were a hundred 
years ago, but we are certainly less passive. We are not 
inclined to sit with folded arms and to be talked to for any 
considerable time. Was it not Mark Twain who said that at 
the end of the first ten minutes of a sermon which greatly 
interested him he took out five one-dollar bills as his prospec¬ 
tive thank-offering, but as the preacher went on and on he put 
them back into his pocket one at a time until, when the plate 
was finally passed, he languidly contributed a few cents? 
Many a speaker has lost the sympathy of his audience by the 
flood of words in which he has drowned his ideas. A great 
deal can be said in fifteen minutes if the speaker is interested 
in his theme and knows how to present it. Most addresses 


AFTER DINNER SPEECH 


279 


which continue beyond that time consist largely of amplifica¬ 
tions and repetitions. The after-dinner speech is something 
more than a mere vehicle for the use of anecdote and pleasantry, 
of pretty compliments and graceful acknowledgments. The 
field for after-dinner speaking is indeed very great, the occa¬ 
sion affording such an excellent opportunity for the statesman 
and the social reformer and all men of earnest purpose to pre¬ 
sent their views in a concentrated form to an audience which is 
usually representative of a large and important section of 
public opinion. It would be interesting to know how many 
libraries and museums and art galleries—how many splendid 
charities, how many social and political reforms can be traced 
to the suggestion of an after-dinner speaker. When one has 
dined well how can he be indifferent to the claims of those 
who are less fortunate than himself? Could a more con¬ 
genial atmosphere than that created by an after-dinner audience 
be imagined in which to dwell upon the glories of peace and the 
advantages of international friendships? 

Fewer speeches, shorter speeches, and a greater variety of 
speeches would add very much to the enjoyment of those who 
attend public dinners. Reception is the bane of the modern 
toast-list. The same themes have been assigned year after year 
until they have become so absolutely threadbare that only a 
genius can arouse the slightest interest in them. They simply 
recall the past, and we frequently fall into a gentle slumber 
from which we are awakened by the announcement, “Ladies 

and gentlemen, pray silence for Mr.-, who will propose 

-,” another subject with which we are perfectly familiar! 

A new theme would so vitalize an after-dinner audience that 
a dull speaker in presenting it would probably be received with 
rapturous applause. I have a friend who has responded to the 
same toast so often that he assures me it has assumed for him 
a sort of tigerish form which pounces upon him at the most 
unexpected times and in the most unusual places. It draws 
nearer and nearer as the evening for the dinner approaches, 
with hot breath and glaring eyes and fiendish looks, and hisses, 
“What can you say about me next time? Think of some¬ 
thing new. I am tired of the old things which I have heard 
since men were sufficiently civilized to enjoy good fellow¬ 
ship.” It was once said by John Bright that it was his custom 
in making a speech to pass from headland to headland, as he 
seldom found time to loiter on the way. That is what the 




280 


THE MASTER KEY 


after-dinner speaker must do in order to be effective. If he 
wanders very far, although, of course, he may occasionally 
pluck some stray wayside flowers of speech, he will probably 
lose his path and not be able to find it in the few minutes 
allotted to him. A good test for an orator would be to stop, 
as the story-teller does in the Far East when a dramatic 
situation has been developed, and refuse to proceed unless his 
hearers come to him bringing gifts. How many addresses, I 
wonder, would be concluded under such a stipulation! The 
after-dinner speech, to be enjoyed, must either have much 
humor in it or it must be so lofty in sentiment and so pure 
in style that men feel at once its beauty and power. Among 
its essential qualities are naturalness and spontaneity. Of 
the toast which is delicate in construction and equally delicate 
in suggestion—an exquisite creation—free from intellectual 
purpose or moral intention, dying with the night, perhaps, 
but filling it with joy, Lowell has written: 

“I’ve a notion, I think, of a good dinner speech, 

Tripping light as a sandpiper over the beach, 

Swerving this way and that as the wave of the moment 
Washes out its slight trace with a dash of whim’s foam on’t, 
And leaving on memory’s rim just a sense 
Something graceful had gone by, a live present tense; 

Not poetry—no, not quite that, but as good, 

A kind of winged prose that could fly if it would. 

’Tis a time for gay fancies as fleeting and vain 
As the whisper of foam-beads on fresh-poured champagne, 
Since dinners were not, perhaps, strictly designed 
For maneuvring the heavy dragoons of the mind. 

When I hear your set speeches that start with a pop, 

Then wander and maunder, too feeble to stop, 

With a vague apprehension from popular rumor 
There used to be something by mortals called humor, 
Beginning again when you thought they were done, 
Respectable, sensible, weighing a ton, 

And as near to the present occasions of men 

As a Fast Day discourse of the year eighteen ten, 

I—well, I sit still, and my sentiments smother, 

For am I not also a bore and a brother?” 


If an after-dinner speech sounds like a carefully prepared 
essay it will receive little consideration. It must not be pre¬ 
pared, nevertheless, in the presence of the audience. Can 



AFTER DINNER SPEECH 


281 


anything be more depressing than to listen to a speaker who 
chooses his words in public, selecting one and discarding it, 
choosing another and rejecting it, and continuing the process 
in the desire of finding a word that will adequately express 
his thought? 

English and American After Dinner Speaking. 

While an after-dinner speech should primarily be enter¬ 
taining, there is no reason why it should not also be inform¬ 
ing, if the information is not delivered in a pedantic or ponder¬ 
ous or dictatorial form. Men do not come to dinners for in¬ 
struction, but if something vital and significant is said they 
are glad to listen, provided the speaker does not give the im¬ 
pression of trying to impart knowledge to very young people. 
It is probably a mistake to have more than one response to a 
toast. The first speaker is apt to allude to the most interest¬ 
ing and suggestive phases of his subject, and those who fol¬ 
low find very little virgin soil which they can upturn. The 
spectacle is often presented of the same things being said again 
and again in a slightly different form, until the audience, genial 
and tolerant as an after-dinner audience may be expected to 
be, shows unmistakably its fatigue and resentment. A more 
harmonious result is secured if all the toasts are proposed 
by the Chairman, who should never allude to the subject- 
matter of the toast except in the most casual way, but should 
confine himself to an anecdote or two, a little banter, perhaps, 
and a graceful allusion, leaving the toast to be dealt with as an 
original theme instead of turning it over to the speaker, as 
is often done, in such a marred and damaged condition that 
he can never hope to recover its freshness and bloom. The 
success of an after-dinner speech depends almost as much 
upon the chairman or the proposer of the toast as upon the 
one who responds. There is no one who is more dreaded by 
the after-dinner speaker than the man who introduces him 
at great length, and avails himself of the opportunity which 
may never occur again of expressing his views upon all con¬ 
ceivable subjects. It is unfair both to the speaker and the 
audience to intersperse the toasts with a long musical pro¬ 
gramme, so that one may be called upon at such a late hour 
that the mood of expectancy, the most delightful mood an 
audience can present to a speaker, has given place to a de¬ 
fault and rebellious attitude which signifies, “You must enter- 


282 


THE MASTER KEY 


tain us at your peril, as we will not show the slightest mercy 
for stupidity, especially if it is long drawn out.” 

The accomplished after-dinner speaker is one whose wit 
sparkles, whose humor flashes, whose thought never droops, 
and whose digressions are always delightful. He takes his 
audience at once into his confidence and causes every one to 
feel that he is simply expressing their opinions. His voice 
sounds like a perfectly tuned instrument, so exquisitely is it 
modulated. His manner is so appealing that he can make 
the dullest subject glow with interest. Speakers of this type 
never use a superfluous word, but always the inevitable word 
without which there can be no real distinction of style. 

It is true of after-dinner speaking, as of all other forms 
of oratory, that the speaker must be sincere himself in order 
to convince his audience. Too much stress cannot be laid 
upon this element of sincerity in all after-dinner speeches, 
which are intended to be something more than graceful little 
talks, which charm and delight, but which are really without 
substance, although they may be perfect in form. 

One more or less familiar with after-dinner speaking in 
England and America is often asked wherein lies the difference. 
In a sense there is no difference. The true orator is regarded 
in exactly the same way in the two countries. It is not a 
greater fallacy to say the English are devoid of humor than 
it is to suggest that all Americans are orators. If this were 
true this country would have perished long ago in a war of 
words. There is one substantial difference, however, between 
English and American after-dinner speaking. The public din¬ 
ner is regarded in America as more of an event, as a less casual 
and incidental thing than in England. Men who respond to 
toasts in England are, therefore, expected to have given a 
good deal of thought to their subject. The invitation to speak 
is often sent several months in advance of the dinner, so that 
very thorough preparation is naturally anticipated. A man 
is seldom asked to make an after-dinner speech in this coun¬ 
try because of the distinguished service he may have rendered 
in any field of effort, unless it is thought that he is an inter¬ 
esting speaker. Americans value such service so highly that 
they do not wish to feel embittered toward the man who may 
have rendered it by being compelled to listen to him when he 
does not possess a single qualification for public speaking. It 
happens, only very occasionally, however, that a man untrained 


AFTER DINNER SPEECH 


283 


in speaking may have his lips touched with the divine fire, 
or that hesitancy and the earnestness born of a great con¬ 
viction will produce a more profound impression than can be 
achieved by the arts of oratory. 

The real object of lecturing, however, is not to communi¬ 
cate information, but to try to plant germinal ideas in the 
mind, and to arouse curiosity, not to satisfy it. A lecture 
ought not to be the handing over of coined thoughts to be 
stored away in mental strong boxes; that is the work of the 
teachers, if, indeed, it is or ought to be any one’s work at all. 
But what one desires to do in a lecture is to make a subject 
interesting; to tempt one’s hearers to look into it themselves, 
to sweep away the dreary tissue of unnecessary and useless 
knowledge in which many books involve a subject, and to pre¬ 
sent, if one can, ideas in an attractive form. In this country 
people are suspicious of new ideas, but many people would 
find ideas more palatable than they think if only they did 
not know that they were new ideas. 

Lecturing is really an attempt to kindle interest and curios¬ 
ity, to unveil in a desirable manner the motives which lie be¬ 
hind effective action; if one takes the field of political science 
or economics—the same end as Psychology and mental science 
is in view; to trace the workings of the human mind, to 
show how people co-operate, and for what purpose. But if 
one call in rhetoric to one’s aid, the aim of it must be stimulus; 
it is not the dry, concise, clear teaching of the class-room, 
with blackboard and note-book, which after all is but the clay 
for the bricks—it is an attempt to summarize and suggest lines 
of thought, to set the mental current moving, and to rescue 
people from what is the cause of many of our worst troubles, 
the curse of muddled thinking and the confusion of similar 
ideas. If a hearer, as a great teacher once said, goes away 
“with his note-book full, his head empty, and his complacency 
perfect,” nothing whatever has been done; and a lecturer 
ought rather to aim at defining a few absolutely clear points, 
from which a hearer’s mind can spontaneously advance, and 
to do this by emphatic repetition, which must never be mis¬ 
taken for wearisome iteration. Thus a lecturer is well advised 
if at the beginning of his lecture he lays down very clearly 
what he is going to aim at; then proceeds to illustration; and 
finally shows at the end that he has a case, and that he has 
sustained his initial argument. 


284 


THE MASTER KEY 


But, after all, a lecturer must form his own methods; it is 
of no use to model oneself in style or manner on some other 
lecturer. He has his own idiosyncrasies to consult. Some 
speakers have their own perennial difficulties in lecturing on 
literature, so that they cannot effectively quote a sentimental 
piece of poetry, because of a curious sort of hysterica passio , 
which tends to make them lachrymose. This is not an indica¬ 
tion of real emotion; it is simply a mental symptom of the 
effects of a certain sort of sentiment upon the nerves. 

Many speakers have it very strongly, and can never read 
an impressive passage aloud without a tendency to tears. 

This can be overcome by concentrating on one’s sympathetic 
nature with the object of driving out sentimentalism. This is 
an inconvenient failing, and it has really prevented many 
from lecturing on certain subjects to a great extent. 

One ought to be very careful if one wants to lecture effect¬ 
ively about one’s physical condition. If ytmr voice is not a 
robust one, and if you are going to give a long lecture to a 
big audience it is advisable not to speak at all for an hour or 
two before, and to concentrate on your voice in the meantime, 
with the sole object of making it strong. And then, too, there 
is that perfectly unaccountable sense of nervousness which lies 
in wait for many a lecturer. It is perfectly unreasonable; one 
has done the thing a hundred times before, one does not care 
in the least what any one thinks of the lecture, one knows that 
it will be all right five minutes after one has begun; but many 
speakers always face a big audience with a certain tremor; 
and, what is still more odd, to face an audience with entire 
unconcern, as occasionally happens, is very nearly a presage of 
ineffectiveness, for the simple reason that nervousness is a 
sign of an emotional desire to do one’s best and to affect one’s 
audience. There was an old professor who I used to know, a 
trenchant talker, and more devoid of shyness than any one I 
ever met, who was yet a tremulous lecturer, so tremulous that 
he put his lectures at an hour when it was difficult for men 
to attend; and even when his audience, as sometimes hap¬ 
pened, was reduced to a single person, he was still unable to 
adapt his phraseology to the situation, but continued to say, 
“Some of you may object to this theory,” or “If there are 
any convinced Mendelians present, they may feel, etc.” He 
had, too, elaborate stage directions at the side of his manuscript, 
such as “short pause,” or the figure of a wineglass, with the 


AFTER DINNER SPEECH 


285 


words “drink here” on the edge of the text. This is an 
extreme instance, yet there are many men who are more or less 
affected by the same terrors; while anything more disconcert¬ 
ing and hampering than to deliver a lecture with a haunting 
nervousness from beginning to end cannot be imagined. Prac¬ 
tice diminishes it, but cannot take away the possibility of it. 
A great preacher who has preached thousands of sermons has 
told me that he never enters a pulpit without a strong sensa¬ 
tion of nausea; and another well-known preacher said once 
in my presence that he always took a manuscript into the pul¬ 
pit, though he seldom, if ever, used it, because thirty years 
ago, preaching without notes, he forgot not only the thread of 
his discourse but his text and subject, and indeed was not sure 
for a moment who or where he was—an incident which, it may 
be added, passed wholly unnoticed by his audience. 

The main point, then, is that a lecturer should form a per¬ 
fectly definite theory and method of his art, and discover by 
preference and practice how he does his work best. The ulti¬ 
mate charm is a thing unattainable by any amount of practice, 
because it depends upon concentration and personality. I was 
amazed the other day, at a lodge which I often attend, to see 
one of my colleagues, a silent, good-natured, not very emphatic 
man, rise slowly in his place to address the meeting; I had 
never heard him speak before, and did not know what to expect. 
But there it was, the indefinable charm! He did not speak 
easily or fluently; but he knew what he had to say, and he said 
it clearly, gently, and persuasively in a fine intonation, and 
with a friendly and modest mien. An absolute silence fell, and 
when he sat down I felt I could have listened to him for an 
hour with pleasure. 

But if that is a natural gift there are many things which 
are merely matters of practice—form, clearness, enunciation, 
deliberation, courtesy, emphasis. These are all within reach; 
and one thing is of high importance. A lecturer must never 
yield to a temptation, which comes in the guise of modesty, to 
deprecate his efforts, to apologize for speaking at all, to plead 
that he does not do it willingly. After all, he would not be 
asked to do it if he was not wanted. His subject should rather 
be presented as a matter of urgent concern, with a gusto, and 
a sense, conveyed rather than insisted upon, that the same state¬ 
ment cannot be obtained in so perfect a form elsewhere. 

If to all this a lecturer adds the conviction of which I have 


286 


THE MASTER KEY 


spoken above, that his work is not the mere imparting of infor¬ 
mation, but analysis and synthesis, a clear defining of ideas, a 
bid for the universal attractiveness of the subject, if only that 
subject be understood, he may reach a high level of effective¬ 
ness; for the purpose of it all, as I have said, is to persuade 
and to start other minds on excursions of their own. A lec¬ 
turer succeeds if his audience departs, saying, “I must look 
into that; there is more in it than I thought!” He fails if 
they go away with a sense of relief that they know all that is 
worth knowing on a particular subject, and firmly persuaded 
that it needs no further elucidation. 

Broadly speaking, however, study, concentration, mental dis¬ 
cipline, practice, natural endowment and character, are all indis¬ 
pensable to the making of a great orator. 


Things the After-Dinner Speaker Should 
Guard Against. 

It may be useful to suggest a few things which the after- 
dinner speaker should guard against: 

Avoid speaking altogether unless you can make yourself 
distinctly heard. 

Avoid talking in such a loud tone that those who listen 
suffer as much as they would from the near-by beating of a 
big drum. 

Avoid apologies. 

Avoid an assumption of knowledge which you do not pos¬ 
sess. 

Avoid any appearance of condescension. 

Avoid any suggestion of imparting knowledge. 

Avoid an anticipatory chuckle before you tell a story, for 
the story may prove to be pointless. 

Avoid a climax which you cannot negotiate, as it is awk¬ 
ward to be suspended upon a sentence in mid-air. 

Avoid statistics, as they usually provoke slumber. 

Avoid undue humility, which is very different from becom¬ 
ing modesty. 

Avoid quotations, because the memory is apt to be treach¬ 
erous, and a quotation imperfectly rendered may destroy what 
would otherwise have been a very effective speech. 

Avoid trying to be playful unless you know how to touch 


AFTER DINNER SPEECH 


287 


a subject deftly and gracefully and how to return to it again 
and again without bruising or exhausting it. 

Avoid rhetorical outbursts, remembering your hearers are 
on the earth, and that ten minutes is a short time in which to 
transport them to the skies and return them safely to the soil. 

Avoid talking so long that the only impression you give is 
of the slow passage of time. 

Avoid imitating the style of some distinguished orator, 
because your listeners will doubtless marvel how you could 
do it so badly. 

Avoid waiting for applause; it may never come. 

Avoid giving the impression that you think you have said 
something exceedingly clever. 

Avoid reading your speech unless an issue as important as 
the fate of an army may depend upon your utterance. 

Avoid being anything but simple and sincere and natural, 
for then you will talk of the things you really know, and men 
will gladly listen. 

CONCENTRATION, ORATORY AND ELOQUENCE. 

Oratory is like music; it must have tone and time. 

An orator without judgment is a horse without a bridle. 

Oratory is of little value unless it reaches the highest per¬ 
fection. 

Some orators captivate their audience by swaying its pas¬ 
sions. 

Sound logic is the sinews of eloquence. 

Without concentration and solid argument oratory is empty 
noise, and the orator is a declaimer or a sopist. 

In oratory, affectation must be avoided. 

The art of Public Speaking is designed to instruct people 
and reform their manners; to support the laws, direct public 
counsels and to make men good and happy. 

The really great speaker makes you keep your mind on the 
subject he is speaking of. 

The orator who can concentrate on his subject, and send 
out a flood of wisdom and noble thoughts, has learned the se¬ 
cret of concentration and mind power. 

Concentration, when used by the orator, is applicable every¬ 
where, in all classes of human life; the rich and the poor alike 
experience the effects of its magic influence. 


288 


THE MASTER KEY 


How often, in the court of justice, does the able lawyer 
by his concentration and matchless oratory free the character 
of the prisoner from suspicion, allowing him to go forth a free 
man? 

To acquire the habit of concentrating on your subject is 
the beginning of the art of oratory and easy speaking. 

If you wish to acquire the habit of correct diction, when 
speaking in public, learn to keep your mind concentrated on your 
subject. 

There are grandiloquent orators, impressive and sonorous 
in their language, vehement, versatile and resourceful; well 
trained and prepared by faithful study and concentration to 
excite and turn the minds of their audience. 

So great is the dignity and excellence of oratory that it 
transcends all eulogy. 

Oratory by its magic power, obtained by concentration, not 
only lights up, but dazzles, the eyes of men. 

What is more wonderful than the magnetic influence of the 
gifted orator, which has the power of holding an assembly of 
men and controlling their minds? 

Oratory has justly been compared to the rainbow of Iris, 
because it overwhelms the souls of mortals with wonder. 

Eloquence, founded upon intelligent concentration and 
study, in this day is a power. Let a man armed with concen¬ 
tration, a presence, sway over language, and, above all confi¬ 
dence, or the skill to simulate it; start out in the public arena 
equipped with these requisites, and ere many years have passed 
he will be in a high station in life, or in a fair way of rising to 
it. 

Unless you have the art of clothing your ideas in clear, cap¬ 
tivating diction, of identifying yourself with the feelings of 
your hearers, and uttering them in language more forcible, or 
terse, or brilliant, than they can themselves command; or 
unless you have the power—still more rare—of originating, of 
controlling their intellects, their hearts, of drawing them to 
your subject by the irresistible magic of concentration —of 
making their thoughts your thoughts, or yours theirs—never 
hope to excel in oratory. 

The student of oratory will find “True Eloquence,” by Dan¬ 
iel Webster, Abraham Lincoln’s “Inaugural Address,” and 
Charles Dickens speech, “On Learners and Workers,” which 
follow here, worthy of study and consideration. 


TRUE ELOQUENCE 


289 


DANIEL WEBSTER. 

TRUE ELOQUENCE. 

When public bodies are to be addressed on momentous 
occasions, when great interests are at stake, and strong pas¬ 
sions excited, nothing is valuable in speech, farther than it is 
connected with high intellectual and moral attainments. 

Clearness, force, and earnestness are the qualities which 
produce conviction. True eloquence, indeed, does not consist 
in speech. It cannot be brought from far. Labor and learn¬ 
ing may toil for it, but they will toil in vain. Word and 
phrases may be marshaled in every way, but they cannot com¬ 
pass it. It must exist in the man, in the subject, and in the 
occasion. Affected passion, intense expression, the pomp of 
declamation, all may aspire after it. They cannot reach it. 
It comes, if it come at all, like the outbreaking of a fountain 
from the earth, or the bursting forth of volcanic fires, with 
spontaneous, original, native force. The graces taught in the 
schools, the costly ornaments, and studied contrivances of 
speech, shock and disgust men when their own lives and the 
lives of their wives and children, and their country, hang on 
the decision of the hour. Then, words have lost their power. 
Rhetoric is vain, and all elaborate oratory contemptible. Even 
genius itself then feels rebuked and subdued as in the presence 
of higher qualities. Then, patriotism is eloquent. Then, 
self-devotion is eloquent. 

The clear conception, outrunning the deductions of logic, 
the high purpose, the firm resolve, the dauntless spirit speaking 
on the tongue, beaming from the eye, informing every feature, 
and urging the whole man onward to his object—this, this is 
eloquence, or rather it is something greater and higher than 
eloquence; it is action, noble, sublime, godlike action. 

—Daniel Webster. 


290 


THE MASTER KEY 


ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 

INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 

(Address at his Second Inauguration, March 4, 1865.) 

Fellow-Countrymen : At this season, appearing to take 
the oath of the Presidential office, there is less occasion for an 
extended address than there was at first. Then a statement 
somewhat in detail of a course to be pursued seemed very fit¬ 
ting and proper. Now, at the expiration of four years, during 
which public declarations have been constantly called forth on 
every point and phase of the great contest which still absorbs 
the attention and engrosses the energies of the nation, little 
that is new could be presented. The progress of our arms, 
upon which all else chiefly depends, is as well known to the 
public as to myself, and it is, I trust, reasonably satisfactory 
and encouraging to all. With high hope for the future, no pre¬ 
diction in regard to it is ventured. 

On the occasion corresponding to this, four years ago, all 
thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. 
All dreaded it, all sought to avoid it. While the inaugural 
address was being delivered from this place, devoted alto¬ 
gether to saving the Union without war, insurgent agents were 
in the city, seeking to destroy it with war—seeking to dissolve 
the Union, and divide the effects of negotiation. Both parties 
deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than 
let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather 
than let it perish; and the war came. One-eighth of the whole 
population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over 
the Union, but localized in the southern part of it. These 
slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest; all knew 
that this interest was somehow the cause of the war. To 
strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object 
for which the insurgents would rend the Union by war, while 
the Government claimed no right to do more than restrict the 
territorial enlargement of it. 

Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the 
duration which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that 
the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the 


INAUGURAL ADDRESS 


291 


conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, 
and a result less fundamental and astounding. 

Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God, and 
each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange 
that any man should dare to ask a just God’s assistance in 
wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces. But 
let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayer of both 
could not be answered. That of neither has been answered 
fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. “Woe unto the 
world because of offenses; for it must needs be that offenses 
come, but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh!” If 
we shall suppose that American slavery is one of these offenses 
which in the providence of God must needs come, but which, 
having continued through His appointed time, He now wills 
to remove, and that He gives to both North and South, this 
terrible war as the woe due to those by whom the offense came, 
shall we discern there any departure from those divine attri¬ 
butes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him ? 
Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty 
scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet if God wills 
that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman’s 
two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk 
and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid 
by another drawn by the sword, then, as was said three thou¬ 
sand years ago, so still it must be said, that “the judgments of 
the Lord are true and righteous altogether.” 

With malice towards none, with charity for all, with firm¬ 
ness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us finish 
the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for 
him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and 
his orphans, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just 
and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations. 


292 


THE MASTER KEY 


CHARLES DICKENS. 

ON LEARNERS AND WORKERS. 

[Speech delivered at the Annual Meeting of the Institutional 
Association of Lancashire and Cheshire, held in the Free 
Trade Hall, Manchester, on December 3, 1858, at which 
Dickens presided.] 

Ladies and Gentlemen :—It has of’ late years become 
noticeable in England that the autumn season produces an im¬ 
mense amount of public speaking. I notice that no sooner do 
the leaves begin to fall from the trees, than pearls of great 
price begin to fall from the lips of the wise men of the east, 
and north, and west, and south; and anybody may have them 
by the bushel, for the picking up. Now, whether the comet 
has this year had a quickening influence on this crop, as it is 
by some supposed to have had upon the corn harvest and the 
vintage, I do not know; but I do know that I have never 
observed the columns of the newspapers to groan so heavily 
under a pressure of orations, each vying with the other in the 
two qualities of having little or nothing to do with the matter 
in hand, and of being always addressed to any audience in 
the wide world rather than the audience to which it was 
delivered. 

The autumn having gone, and the winter come, I am so 
sanguine as to hope that we in our proceedings may break 
through this enchanted circle and deviate from this precedent; 
the rather as we have something real to do, and are come 
together, I am sure, in all plain fellowship and straightfor¬ 
wardness, to do it. We have no little straws of our own to 
throw up to show us which way any wind blows, and we 
have no oblique biddings of our own to make for anything- 
outside this hall. 

At the top of the public announcement of this meeting are 
the words, “Institutional Association of Lancashire and 
Cheshire.” Will you allow me, in reference to the meaning 
of those words, to present myself before you as the embodied 
spirit of ignorance recently enlightened, and to put myself 
through a short, voluntary examination as to the results of 
my studies. To begin with: The title did not suggest to me 


ON LEARNERS AND WORKERS 


293 


anything in the least like the truth. I have been for some 
years pretty familiar with the terms “Mechanics’ Institutions,” 
and “Literary Societies,” but they have, unfortunately, be¬ 
come too often associated in my mind with a body of great 
pretentions, lame as to some important member or other, which 
generally inhabits a new house much too large for it, which 
is seldom paid for, and which takes the name of the mechanics 
most grievously in vain, for I have usually seen a mechanic and 
a dodo in that place together. I, therefore, began my educa¬ 
tion, in respect of the meaning of this title, very coldly indeed, 
saying to myself, “Here’s the old story.” But the perusal of 
a very few lines of my book soon gave me to understand that 
it was not by any means the old story; in short, that this asso¬ 
ciation is expressly designed to correct the old story and to pre¬ 
vent its defects from becoming perpetuated. I learnt that this 
Institutional Association is the union, in one central head, of 
one hundred and fourteen local Mechanics’ Institutions and 
Mutual Improvement Societies, at an expense of no more than 
five shillings to each society; suggesting to all how they can 
best communicate with and profit by the fountain-head and 
one another; keeping their best aims steadily before them; ad¬ 
vising them how those aims can be best attained; giving a 
direct end and object to what might otherwise easily become 
waste forces; and sending among them not only oral teachers, 
but, better still, boxes of excellent books, called “Free-Itinerat¬ 
ing Libraries.” I learnt that these books are constantly mak¬ 
ing the circuit of hundreds upon hundreds of miles, and are 
constantly being read with inexpressible relish by thousands 
upon thousands of toiling people, but that they are never dam¬ 
aged or defaced by one rude hand. These and other like facts 
lead me to consider the immense importance of the fact, that 
no little cluster of working men’s cottages can arise in any 
Lancashire or Cheshire valley, at the foot of any running 
stream which enterprise hunts out for water-power, but it has 
its educational friend and companion ready for it, willing for 
it, acquainted with its thoughts and ways and turns of speech 
even before it has come into existence. 

Now, ladies and gentlemen, this is the main consideration 
that has brought me here. No central association at a dis¬ 
tance could possibly do for those working men what this local 
association does. No central association at a distance could 
possibly understand them as this local association does. No 


294 


THE MASTER KEY 


central association at a distance could possibly put them in 
that familiar and easy communication, one with another, as 
that I, man or boy, eager for knowledge, in that valley seven 
miles off, should know of you, man or boy, eager for knowl¬ 
edge twelve miles off, and should occasionally trudge to meet 
you, that you may impart your learning in one branch of 
acquisition to me, whilst I impart mine in another to you. 
Yet this is distinctly a feature, and a most important feature, 
of this society. 

On the other hand, it is not to be supposed that these hon¬ 
est men, however zealous, could, as a rule, succeed in estab¬ 
lishing and maintaining their own institutions of themselves. 
It is obvious that combination must materially diminish their 
cost, which is in time a vital consideration; and it is equally 
obvious that experience, essential to the success of all combina¬ 
tion, is especially so when its object is to diffuse the results of 
experience and reflection. 

Well, ladies and gentlemen, the student of the present profit¬ 
able history of this society does not stop here in this learning; 
when he has got so far, he finds with interest and pleasure 
that the parent society at certain stated periods invites the more 
eager and enterprising members of the local society to submit 
themselves to voluntary examination in various branches of 
useful knowledge, of which examination it takes the charge 
and arranges the details, and invites the successful candidates 
to come to Manchester to receive the prizes and certificates of 
merit which it impartially awards. The most successful of 
the competitors in the list of these examinations are now among 
us, and these little marks of recognition and encouragement I 
shall have the honor presently of giving them, as they come be¬ 
fore you, one by one, for that purpose. 

1 have looked over a few of those examination papers, 
which have comprised history, geography, grammar, arithmetic, 
book-keeping, decimal coinage, mensuration, mathematics, 
social economy, the French language—in fact, they comprise 
all the keys that open all the locks of knowledge. I felt most 
devoutly gratified, as to many of them, that they had not been 
submitted to me to answer, for I am perfectly sure that if 
they had been, I should have had mighty little to bestow upon 
myself tonight. And yet it is always to be observed and seri¬ 
ously remembered that these examinations are undergone by 
people whose lives have been passed in a continual fight for 


ON LEARNERS AND WORKERS 295 

bread, and whose whole existence has been a constant wrestle 
with 

“Those twin gaolers of the daring heart— 

Low birth and iron fortune.”* 

I could not but consider, with extraordinary admiration, 
that these questions have been replied to, not only by men 
like myself, the business of whose life is with writing and with 
books, but by men, the business of whose life is with tools and 
machinery. 

Let me endeavor to recall, as well as my memory will serve 
me, from among the most interesting cases of prizeholders and 
certificate-gainers who will appear before you, some two or 
three of the most conspicuous examples. There are two poor 
brothers from near Chorley, who work from morning to night 
in a coal-pit, and who, in all weathers, have walked eight 
miles a night, three nights a week, to attend the classes in 
which they have gained distinction. There are two poor boys 
from Bollington, who began life as piecers at one shilling or 
eighteen-pence a week, and the father of one of whom was 
cut to pieces by the machinery at which he worked, but not 
before he had himself founded the institution in which this 
son has since come to be taught. These two poor boys will 
appear before you tonight, to take the second-class prize in 
chemistry. There is a plasterer from Bury, sixteen years of 
age, who took a third-class certificate last year at the hands 
of Lord Brougham; he is this year again successful in a com¬ 
petition three times as severe. There is a wagon-maker from 
the same place, who knew little or absolutely nothing until 
he was a grown man, and who has learned all he knows, which 
is a great deal, in the local institution. There is a chain-maker, 
in very humble circumstances, and working hard all day, who 
walks six miles a night, three nights a week, to attend the 
classes in which he has won so famous a place. There is a 
moulder in an iron foundry, who, whilst he was working 
twelve hours a day before the furnace, got up at four o'clock 
in the morning to learn drawing. ‘The thought of my lads," 
he writes in his modest account of himself, “in their peaceful 
slumbers above me, gave me fresh courage, and I used to think 
that if I should never receive any personal benefit, I might 
instruct them when they come to be of an age to understand 
the mighty machines and engines which have made our country, 


*Claude Melnotte in The Lady of Lyons, Act iii, sc. 2. 



296 


THE MASTER KEY 


England, pre-eminent in the world’s history.” There is a piecer 
at mule-frames, who could not read at eighteen, who is now a 
man of little more than thirty, who is the sole support of an 
aged mother, who is arithmetical teacher in the institution in 
which he himself was taught, who writes of himself that he 
made the resolution never to take up a subject without keep¬ 
ing to it, and who has kept to it with such an astonishing will, 
that he is now well versed in Euclid and Algebra, and is the 
best French Scholar in Stockport. The drawing-classes in 
that same Stockport are taught by a working blacksmith; and 
the pupils of that working blacksmith will receive the highest 
honors of tonight. Well may it be said of that good black¬ 
smith, as it was written of another of his trade, by the Ameri¬ 
can poet: 

“Toiling, rejoicing, sorrowing, 

Onward through life he goes; 

Each morning sees some task begun, 

Each evening sees its close. 

Something attempted, something done, 

Has earn’d a night’s repose.” 

To pass from the successful candidates to the delegates 
from local societies now before me, and to content myself 
with one instance from amongst them. There is among their 
number a most remarkable man, whose history I have read 
with feelings that I could not adequately express under any 
circumstances, and least of all when I know he hears me, 
who worked when he was a mere baby at hand-loom weaving 
until he dropped from fatigue; who began to teach himself as 
soon as he could earn five shillings a week; who is now a bota¬ 
nist acquainted with every production of the Lancashire valley; 
who is a naturalist, and has made and preserved a collection 
of the eggs of British birds, and stuffed the birds; who is now 
a conchologist, with a very curious, and in some respects an 
original collection of fresh-water shells, and has also preserved 
and collected the mosses of fresh water and of the sea; who 
is worthily the president of his own local Literary Institution, 
and who was at his work this time last night as foreman in a 
mill. 

So stimulating has been the influence of these bright ex¬ 
amples and many more, that I notice among the applications 
from Blackburn for preliminary test examination papers, one 
from an applicant who gravely fills up the printed form by 
describing himself as ten years of age, and who, with equal 


ON LEARNERS AND WORKERS 


297 


gravity, describes his occupation as “nursing a little child.” 
Nor are these things confined to the men. The women em¬ 
ployed in factories, milliner’s work, and domestic service, have 
begun to show, as it is fitting they should, a most decided de¬ 
termination not to be outdone by the men; and the women of 
Preston, in particular, have so honorably distinguished them¬ 
selves, and shown in their examination papers such an admira¬ 
ble knowledge of the science of household management and 
household economy, that if I were a working bachelor of Lan¬ 
cashire or Cheshire, and if I had not cast my eye or set my 
heart upon any lass in particular, I should positively get up 
at four o’clock in the morning with the determination of the 
iron-moulder himself, and should go to Preston in search of a 
wife. 

Now, ladies and gentlemen, these instances, and many 
more, daily occurring, always accumulating, are surely better 
testimony to the working of this Association, than any num¬ 
ber of speakers could possibly present to you. Surely the pres¬ 
ence among us of these indefatigable people is the Association’s 
best and most effective triumph in the present and the past, and 
is its noblest simulus to effort in the future. As its temporary 
mouthpiece, I would beg to say to that portion of the com¬ 
pany who attend to receive the prizes, that the Institution can 
never hold itself apart from them—can never set itself above 
them; that their distinction and success must be its distinction 
and success; and that there can be but one heart beating be¬ 
tween them and it. In particular, I would most especially en¬ 
treat them to observe that nothing will ever be farther from 
this Association’s mind than the impertinence of patronage. 

The prizes that it gives, and the certificates that it gives, 
are mere admiring assurances of sympathy with so many striv¬ 
ing brothers and sisters, and are only valuable for the spirit 
in which they are given, and in which they are received. The 
prizes are money prizes simply because the Institution does not 
presume to doubt that persons who have so well governed them¬ 
selves know best how to make a little money serviceable—be¬ 
cause it would be a shame to treat them like grown-up babies 
by laying it out for them, and because it knows it is given and 
knows it is taken, in perfect clearness of purpose, perfect trust¬ 
fulness, and above all, perfect independence. 

Ladies and gentlemen, reverting once more lo the whole 
collective audience before me, I will, in another two minutes, 


298 


THE MASTER KEY 


release the hold which your favor has given me on your atten¬ 
tion. Of the advantages of knowledge I have said and I shall 
say, nothing. Of the certainty with which the man who grasps 
it under difficulties rises in his own respect and in usefulness 
to the community, I have said, and I shall say, nothing. In the 
city of Manchester, in the county of Lancaster, both of them 
remarkable for self-taught men, that were superfluous indeed. 
For the same reason I rigidly abstain from putting together 
any of the shattered fragments of that poor clay image of a 
parrot, which was once always saying, without knowing why, 
or what it meant, that knowledge was a dangerous thing. I 
should as soon think of piecing together the mutilated remains 
of any wretched Hindoo who has been blown from an English 
gun. Both, creatures of the past, have been—as my friend Mr. 
Carlyle vigorously has it—“blasted into space;” and there, as 
to this world, is an end of them. 

So I desire, in conclusion, only to sound two strings. In 
the first place, let me congratulate you upon the progress which' 
real mutual improvement societies are making at this time 
in your neighborhood, through the noble agency of individual 
employers and their families, whom you can never too much 
delight to honor; elsewhere, through the agency of the great 
railway companies, some of which are bestirring themselves in 
this matter with a gallantry and generosity deserving of all 
praise. Secondly and lastly, let me say one word out of my 
own personal heart, which is always very near to it in this 
connection. Do not let us, in the midst of the visible objects 
of this nature, whose workings we can tell of in figures, sur¬ 
rounded by machines that can be made to the thousandth part 
of an inch, acquiring every day knowledge which can be proved 
upon a slate or demonstrated by a microscope—do not let us, in 
the laudable pursuit of the facts that surround us, neglect the 
fancy and the imagination which equally surround us as a part 
of the great scheme. Let the child have its fable; let the man 
or woman into which it changes, always remember those fables 
tenderly. Let numerous graces and ornaments that cannot 
be weighed and measured, and that seem at first sight idle 
enough, continue to have their places about us, be we never 
so wise. The hardest head may co-exist with the softest 
heart. . The union and just balance of those two is always 
a blessing to the possessor, and always a blessing to mankind. 
The Divine Teacher was as gentle and considerate as He was 


299 


ON LEARNERS AND WORKERS 

powerful and wise. You all know how He could still the 
raging of the sea, and could hush a little child. As the utmost 
results of the wisdom of men can only be at last to help to 
raise this earth to that condition to which His doctrine, un¬ 
tainted by the blindnesses and passions of men, would have 
exalted it long ago; so let us always remember that He set 
us the example of blending the understanding and the imagina¬ 
tion, and that, following it ourselves, we tread in His steps, 
and help our race on to its better and best days. Knowledge, 
as all followers of it must know, has a very limited power 
indeed, when it informs the head alone; but when it informs 
the head and the heart too, it has a power over life and death, 
the body and the soul, and dominates the universe. 


©fjp Sawn 


“Surcease of Sorrow for the Lost Lenore ” 

This elegy by Edgar Allan Poe is well calculated to call forth those 

D ualities of mind, in the student, necessary to strengthen his powers of 
oncentration and Oratory as well as to develop the retentive powers of 
memory. .To those who can “Concentrate” this poem brings to their mind 
and imagination the dramatic, the weird, the raven —symbol of despair— 
the sorrow and sadness for the lost, “Lenore.” 

It is generally considered the most remarkable example of a har¬ 
mony of sentiment with, rhythmical, expression to be found in any lan¬ 
guage. While the poet sits musing in his study, endeavoring to win from 
books .“surcease of sorrow for the lost Lenore,” a raven —the symbol of 
despair —enters the room and perches upon a bust of Pallas. A colloquy 
follows between the poet and the bird of ill omen with its haunting croak 
oi “Nevermore.” The “Raven" has been more widely translated and more 
universally recited than any other selection in all literature. 


Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and 
weary, 

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore— 

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, 

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. 

“ 'Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber 
door— 

Only this and nothing more.” 

Ah, distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak December, 

And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the 
floor. 

Eagerly I wished the morrow; vainly I had sought to borrow 

From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Le¬ 
nore,— 

For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Le¬ 
nore,— 

Nameless here forevermore. 

300 



THE RAVEN 


301 


And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain, 
Thrilled me,—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before; 
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating, 
“ ’Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door,— 
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; 
That it is, and nothing more.” 


Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer, 
“Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore; 
But the fact is, I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, 
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door, 
That I scarce was sure I heard you”—here I opened wide the 
door; 

Darkness there, and nothing more. 


Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, 
fearing, 

Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream 
before; 

But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token, 

And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Le- 
nore!” 

This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Le- 
nore !” 

Merely this, and nothing more. 


Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning, 
Soon again I heard a tapping, something louder than before. 
“Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my window- 
lattice ; 

Let me see then what thereat is and this mystery explore,— 
Let my heart be still a moment, and this mystery explore;— 
'Tis the wind, and nothing more.” 


302 


THE MASTER KEY 


Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and 
flutter, 

In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore. 

Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or 
stayed he; 

But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber 
door,— 

Perched upon a bust of Pallas, just above my chamber door« 
Perched, and sat, and nothing more. 

Then this ebon bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, 

By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore, 
“Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou-,” I said, “art sure 
no craven; 

Ghastly, grim, and ancient raven, wandering from the nightly 
shore, 

Tell me what thy lordly name is on the night’s Plutonian 
shore?" 

Quoth the raven, “Nevermore!" 

Much I marveled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly, 
Though its answer little meaning, little relevancy bore; 

For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being 
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door, 
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door 
With such name as “Nevermore!" 

But the raven, sitting lonely on that placid bust, spoke only 
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour, 
Nothing further then he uttered; not a feather then he flut¬ 
tered— 

Till I scarcely more than muttered, “Other friends have flown 
before, 

On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown 
before. 

Then the bird said “Nevermore!" 


THE RAVEN 


303 


Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken, 
“Doubtless,” said I, “what it utters is its only stock and store, 
Caught from some unhappy master, whom unmerciful disaster 
Followed fast and followed faster, till his songs one burden 
bore, 

Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore, 

Of—‘Never—nevermore!’ ” 


But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling, 
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust 
and door, 

Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking 
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore— 
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of 
yore 

Meant in croaking “Nevermore!’’ 


This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing 
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core; 
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining 
On the cushion’s velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o’er, 
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloated o’er 
She shall press—ah! nevermore! 


Then methought the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen 
censer 

Swung by seraphim, whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor, 
“Wretch,” I cried, “thy God hath lent thee,—by these angels 
he hath sent thee 

Respite—respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore! 
Quaff, oh, quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget the lost Lenore!” 
Quoth the raven, “Nevermore!” 


304 THE MASTER KEY 

“Prophet!” cried I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or 
devil! 

Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here 
ashore, 

Desolate, yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted— 

On this home by horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore,— 

Is there—is there balm in Gilead?—tell me—tell me, I im¬ 
plore r 

Quoth the raven, “Nevermore!” 

“Prophet!” cried I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or 
devil! 

By that heaven that bends above us, by that God we both adore, 

Tell this soul, with sorrow laden, if within the distant Aidenn, 

It shall clasp a sainted maiden, whom the angels name Lenore; 

Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels name Le¬ 
nore !” 

Quoth the raven, “Nevermore!” 

“Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!” I shrieked, 
upstarting,— 

“Get thee back into the tempest and the night’s Plutonian shore! 

Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath 
spoken! 

Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door! 

Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off 
my door!” 

Quoth the raven, “Nevermore!” 

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting 

On the pallid bust of Pallas, just above my chamber door; 

And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dream¬ 
ing, 

And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on 
the floor; 

And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor 

Shall be lifted—nevermore! — Edgar Allan Poe. 


drag’s lElrgg 


The Curfew tolls the knell of parting day, 

The lowing herd winds slowly o’er the lea, 

The ploughman homeward plods his weary way, 
And leaves the world to darkness and to me. 

Now fades the glimmering landscape on the sight, 
And all the air a solemn stillness holds, 

Save where the beetle wheels his droning flight, 

And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds. 

Save that, from yonder ivy-mantled tower, 

The moping owl does to the moon complain, 

Of such as, wandering near her secret bower, 

Molest her ancient solitary reign. 

Beneath those rugged elms, that yew-tree’s shade, 
Where heaves the turf in many a mouldering heap, 
Each in his narrow cell forever laid, 

The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep. 

The breezy call of incense-breathing morn, 

The swallow twittering from the straw-built shed, 
The cock’s shrill clarion, or the echoing horn, 

No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed. 


305 



{Raster SCrjj 

CHAPTER XXXI. 

LESSON TWENTY-NINE. 

RATIONAL AND MORAL EDUCATION ETHICALLY 
DIRECTED BY CONCENTRATION. 

“The mind of man is ever restless. Prone to err. Small is 
its infinity for right unless ethically directed,” 

Modern education is entirely founded upon the idea of de¬ 
terminism. In fact, its aim always is to make the individual 
accept ideas that will determine his future conduct. Education 
badly directed by faulty Concentration strengthens the motives 
of the senses and renders the individual a slave to his passions 
and bad mental habits. If education, by intelligent concentra¬ 
tion, is ethically directed, it raises those moral barriers which, 
coming between the unhealthful idea and the act, prevent the 
accomplishment of evil. It is still from the psychological point 
of view slavery, but a useful slavery, because it contributes to 
our own happiness and to that of others. 

We feel the chain that holds us when those who guide us 
make us take a direction opposite to that of our inmost wish, 
and we complain of this violence done to our feelings. We 
think ourselves free as soon as we are led in the direction we 
wish to go. 

Guyau expresses this very well when he says, “A dog held 
in leash by his master would consider himself perfectly free if 
the master wanted to go just where the dog wished, and at 
the same pace.” The young man who has not yet felt the 
attraction of virtue resists the counsels of a mentor, he is 
indignant at constraint and does not see that the advice given 
him, regarding mental discipline, is good for him even if it 
restricts his liberty. But when he gets moral clairvoyance * 

*The term, moral clairvoyance, as used here is not to be confused 
with the word clairvoyance when used in connection with modern so- 
called clairvoyants and mediums. 


306 



EDUCATION ETHICALLY DIRECTED 


307 


another desire— a good one —will waken in him; he will then 
pursue it, and although always held in leash by the idea that 
has taken possession of him, he will have the feeling that the 
chain is loosened; he will get the illusion of liberty, like the 
dog, which, guided by attraction, closely follows his master. 
If, in his enthusiasm, the dog goes ahead, he will think that 
he is pulling his master, and has become his conductor. At 
first slave of his passions, and bad mental habits, the individual, 
by concentrating on virtue, becomes slave of the moral idea. 

It is consideration of the ethical goal to be reached, for the 
good of the individual and of humanity, that establishes the 
distinction between the two forms of slavery; that of evil 
and that of good; we too often forget the latter in psychological 
analysis. That is the reason why, in ordinary speech, we 
declare him a slave who obeys his impulses of passion, of 
egotism, and why absolute obedience to moral principles is 
considered liberty. “Become a slave to philosophy and you will 
enjoy real liberty/' said Epicurus; and Schiller repeated, “The 
moral man is the only free man.” 

And to think that the majority of men and women imagine 
themselves free! 

Too many are slaves of bad mental habits. It is not a 
question of our freedom, but of finding the straight path, like 
the traveler who seeks to climb the longed-for height. He 
will profit by his personal experience in looking for the road; 
he will ask his way from those who have gone before him, and 
when he has found it he will not say, “I should like to take it,” 
but will take it. This was well put by an intelligent invalid 
who said, “Will passively falls into the rut dug for it by 
right” 

Man does not willingly do evil. He rather goes astray, as 
Socrates so justly thought, and all rational and moral edu¬ 
cation has for its aim showing him the right road. If he does 
not take it, it is because he is not yet sure of the correctness 
of your directions; it may appear to him shorter, but not so 
pleasant; much becomes a matter of taste. 

The determinist character of education is clearly shown 
when this education is applied to authority in all its forms; it 
would be absurd to speak of the liberty of the child that is 
brought up on beatings, of liberty of thought when an opinion 
is imposed upon a person by law or church. There are meth¬ 
ods of moral orthopaedia which are still often used in corn- 


308 


THE MASTER KEY 


munities where free will is claimed and the antinomy* between 
the two ideas, authority and liberty, is not apparently noticed. 

Liberty does not become greater, psychologically speaking, 
when we yield to any suggestions whatever. It is enough to 
have been present at hypnotic or suggestive seances in order to 
know that ninety-seven per cent, of people are apt to come 
under these influences by reason of their credulity and belief, 
to appreciate the extent of liberty of judgments in man. Per¬ 
suasion by more logical arguments does not leave greater lib¬ 
erty to the individual. It imposes nothing, it is .true, and even 
expressly says, “You are free, listen to me, follow the argu¬ 
ments” But if the idea presented to a person is accepted by 
him, and this acceptation does not depend upon his will but 
upon his faculty of comprehension, it becomes imperious, tyran¬ 
nical, and carries away the person by so much the greater force 
as he is the more convinced. 

If, on the contrary, he resists the, dialectics of the master, 
it is because he does not thoroughly understand the idea sub¬ 
mitted to him; there is no room for it in his mind, which is 
already full; he remains the slave of his previous opinion. We 
all know how painful it is to come across this resistance in 
others’ minds when we wish to do them a service by making 
them share our views. 

Education by means of reason and persuasion is the only 
kind that the apparent liberty of the individual respects, the 
kind that submits motives to him and allows him to value them 
according to his intellectual powers. 

Every method that resorts to authority is essentially bad, 
although it may have the advantage of producing a quick and 
useful result. The end never justifies the means. A real idea 
which may take us by the collar and make us obey in the man¬ 
ner of a whip may be more agreeable. It is not because the 
constraint of authority comes from others that we detest it, 
for the ideas that govern us also come from others, from 
our parents, from our teachers, like the instruction they have 
probably given us. What is bad in authority is that it does not 
develop our moral clairvoyance and our perspicacity. 

What the student really needs in life is not will, which so 
many people pride themselves on having while they are only 


*The contradiction, which arises when we carry the categories of the 
mind above material experience, and apply these to the sphere of the 
absolute is always prominent where the question of free will is concerned. 



EDUCATION ETHICALLY DIRECTED 


309 


voluntaries; that is to say, slaves of their impulses. Intelli¬ 
gence, self-control, and properly directed concentration is what 
he wants. Intelligence and will properly controlled and di¬ 
rected are one and the same thing. Whoever has grasped this 
formula understands the entire question of determinism; for 
intelligence is a gift either of God or of nature, as you will; 
mere wishing does not make one intelligent. That is why it 
is as absurd to reproach a person for moral ugliness as it 
would be to consider his physical infirmities a crime. 

We give a too restricted meaning to the word “intelligence” 
when we speak of those who have shown certain intellectual 
aptitudes as intelligent persons; it is necessary to specify in 
what branch of human understanding they have merited this 
distinction as commonplace as decorations. 

The Latin word intelligere means “to understand.” Now, 
every day one sees people who, though masters in the field of 
science, arts, and politics, do not understand, and are, from an 
ethical point of view, idiots or weak-minded. Alas, they lack 
exactly the most necessary intelligence—that which makes real 
men; they have only the kind, more brilliant in the eyes of the 
world, which makes savants, artists, statesmen, and often black¬ 
legs of genius! The aim of the education that we give to oth¬ 
ers, or receive from them, should be, above all, to form that 
moral intelligence which enables us to distinguish good from 
evil and to lighten through life our pathway, which is sur¬ 
rounded by pitfalls. All other kinds of intelligence are in¬ 
ferior to this. For those who possess them other kinds of 
intelligence may procure personal advantages, enjoyed by 
others, and thus contribute to the establishment of that contin¬ 
gent and always precarious happiness which comes from the 
benefits of civilization. One need scarcely be a wizard to prove 
that this is not real happiness. Brilliant but fragmentary minds 
often do so much moral harm that the gifts they bring do not 
pay for it. 

We have schools enough of this kind, which give us general 
and special knowledge, and can turn us into excellent technicians 
in all branches of human activity; what the student needs is 
a school to make men. In writing these words, I see myself 
assailed, in thought, by a crowd of experts of existing religions, 
who cry, “But this school exists; it is the Church.” I find 
myself a little embarrassed in the presence of good people who 
see salvation only in a religion of authority. I in no way refuse 


310 


THE MASTER KEY 


their help and do not doubt their excellent intentions. I am 
even convinced that actual practice of Christ’s morality would 
have brought this sought-for happiness to the earth. This is 
what M. Jean Omer Joly de Fleury said in his thundering speech 
against the book “De VEsprit” “What men would be happier 
than Christians if they only regulated their conduct in every¬ 
thing by the moral teaching of the Evangelist; what gentleness 
of customs, what cordiality in the relations of society, what 
regulations, what honesty, what justice in all our actions!” 

Ah, yes, it would be very fine, but I humbly confess that I 
am not surprised at the result obtained at the end of nineteen 
hundred years. I have a deep feeling that if Jesus Christ 
revisited this earth He would cover His face at the sight of the 
Christianity that claims to be His; perhaps His grief would 
not be greatly increased by visiting those who were called in 
his time Gentiles. Respect for authority is passing. I ob¬ 
served to an excellent Jesuit father, “You have the name of 
being the cleverest of all religious orders; you even tell me 
you do not fear law for your congregations, because this little 
business was settled in advance.” “It is true,” he replied, with 
a satisfied expression, not dissimulated, “we have this reputa¬ 
tion for savoir faire.” “Well, do you know, I find you very 
clumsy.” “How so ?” “Because your part should be to keep 
your flock intact, together, and although you take all the care 
of sheep-dogs, I see your sheep escape you and scatter afar.” 
“It is true ” he replied with a slightly bitter smile, “many peo¬ 
ple do not love us, and among my own friends, although very 
devout, I had to beg forgiveness for joining the order.” 

The good village priest has certainly a better influence over 
his sheep. I find many, nevertheless, who complain of preach¬ 
ing in the wilderness; there are still too many who have re¬ 
course to authority, threatening eternal punishment, without 
adding the wit of the cure of Cucugnan. 

This impotency of the Church over certain souls has been 
clearly recognized by a nun, a sister of the Sacred Heart, who 
said.' “A great number of persons whom we bring up with 
the religious idea turn away from us in the course of life, 
under the influence of social contagion, and with dogmas they 
abandon the morality attached to them. If then we want to 
influence these souls we must institute a path of rational moral¬ 
ity.” Indeed, it is to those who cannot accept religious dogmas 
that rational moral education will most appeal, founded upon 


EDUCATION ETHICALLY DIRECTED 


311 


the experience of all and transmitted to all. This does not 
mean that Christians can do without it. Even while accepting 
a moral code divinely given, and revealed, and upon which 
their faith is founded, in order to apply it they must under¬ 
stand the utility of its precepts, and constantly concentrate upon 
them either, for their relative happiness on this earth, or to 
achieve eternal bliss. Thus they also are obliged to understand; 
they must have ethical intelligence which is the fruit of pure 
mental habits. 

“Obedience to good thoughts is liberty” 

This necessity for the control of reason is what Channing, 
and with him the American Unitarians generally, clearly saw. 
While remaining a Christian, he admits that revelation and 
reason, both given to man for his guidance, are necessarily in 
agreement, and can never be in opposition. Following his com¬ 
parison, both are seen to be the same light differing as dawn 
and midday; one is the perfection and not the opposite of the 
other, completing and not overthrowing it. He accepts dogmas 
on condition that they receive the assent of reason. 

Even for those unable to reach the point of this Christian 
rationalism it remains evident that morality may be founded 
upon reason, and that a perfect harmony may be established, 
from the point of view of the conduct of life, between those 
who believe in religion and those who seek support in philos¬ 
ophy. As a sign of the times, a society to study the inner 
meaning of the Bible has been recently founded. 

I say that for the flight into life we must start from a plat¬ 
form able to support our spring. Christians suspend it from 
the heavens by chains of dogmatism; I do not deny that this 
can be used by those rare persons sufficiently gifted morally 
to truly live the Christian life. Those who do not believe con¬ 
struct this platform upon a broad base, upon firm layers of 
reason. I have no right to admit a priori, that this edifice is 
the weaker. Besides, there have been enough virtuous ration¬ 
alists to have justified the daring expression of “lay saints” 
It is then entirely by the influence of persuasion, and by show¬ 
ing the path of the True, the Beautiful, and the Good, that we 
can influence others; and they should have recourse to the 
same means to educate us. Unfortunately, the result of this 
desired education is not always what we expect—indeed, it 
stumbles against many obstacles. 

Like seed sown in badly prepared ground, the moral idea 


312 


THE MASTER KEY 


is also abortive in minds warped by heredity and atavism. In 
a greater degree, fortuitous educative influences act surrepti¬ 
tiously, as unforeseen meteorological conditions act upon a 
plant and disconcert the sower. The word “education” is used 
in much too restricted sense when, always with the idea of 
liberty, one makes the objection, “Look at this; here are two 
young persons, both gifted, who have received at home, at 
school, and from the Church the same education, and yet one 
is a delightful fellow and the other a good-for-nothing.” The 
latter is blamed, as if he voluntarily shut the ears of his under¬ 
standing to the excellent counsels given to him. 

We commit the same mistake as the gardener who would 
say, “Here are two plants that I sowed in the same bed, that 
I have cultivated with the same care; one is well developed 
and the other is a disobedient weed.” Between two brothers, 
apparently so dissimilar, there may be less moral difference than 
we imagine, and some fortuitous circumstance might have been 
enough to invert the roles. 

By the side of directed and desired education there are 
many secret influences which are acting from the first day of 
life and which may lead the individual into a wrong path. We 
feel these influences every day, however absorbed we are in 
our surroundings, exposed to the contagion of all these germs 
of vice which breed in the moral air that we breathe, and we 
become inoculated by speech, by reading, and, above all, by 
example. It is the same with education as with the precau¬ 
tions we take to prevent our children catching contagious dis¬ 
eases such as scarlatina or measles. Sometimes we think we 
have succeeded—until the day when one of them comes home 
with measles, while his brother, sitting by his side at school, 
escapes. 

Doubtless the intentional education the student receives does 
a great deal for his subsequent development, but he must not 
forget the material and moral influence working unknown to 
him, and against which he must concentrate his mind. I have 
said that they may, from foetal life,* influence the character 
of the child, and lead it into the path of sadness or of sullen¬ 
ness. At the moment of writing these words I have received 
from a well known practitioner the following communication: 
“Two children that I know were born twelve months apart. 

*See Chapter XXXV., Lesson Thirty-three, “Concentration Applied 
During the Period of Gestation” 




EDUCATION ETHICALLY DIRECTED 


313 


At the birth of the first an excellent wet-nurse was chosen; 
the child flourished, was raised without trouble, and the parents 
wondered at this big, fresh, rosy boy, always laughing, and 
who was never heard to cry. The second arrived; the nurse 
had been so good that the parents decided they could not do 
better than confide the second child to her; but the exhausted 
breasts were not sufficient; the child made vain efforts and, 
often famished, cried with all his might; diarrhoea resulted, 
and the cries of the child were still shriller. ‘You see/ said the 
parents, ‘what a bad disposition this one has! He is brought 
up like his brother, he has the same nurse, and as the first was 
well behaved and gave us no trouble the second is just the op¬ 
posite, fretful and sulky’; the conclusion being, what a wretched 
disposition!” 

Do not let it be thought that this is a rare case, in which 
the parents were not intelligent; it is a typical example of that 
which goes on in different ways in families, in creches, in the 
best organized charity institutions. 

Doubtless if a child has a case of well-defined sickness kind 
persons will be found to take care of it, but if it be sulky 
without the cause being discovered, let it beware. Children who 
cry are not loved, nor are those who look sad or refuse to be 
petted. Affection is naturally given to those who are chubby 
and, above all, smiling. It is hard for a mother to avoid pref¬ 
erences, even at the very time when a keener sympathy should 
particularly surround the one more poorly endowed. These 
preferences aggravate the state of mind of the little sufferers. 
Soon they wake to feelings of jealousy, and moral deformation 
increases. We are unjust towards those we should protect, be¬ 
cause we forget that they are what they are able to be. We 
flatter ourselves on being charitable towards them when we 
have only thought egotistically of the annoyance they cause us. 
How much harder are we upon adults who no longer exercise 
upon us the charm of childhood! 

In other ways, there are contagions working surreptitiously. 
A word spoken before a child at a time of psychological recep¬ 
tivity may destroy all our moral orthopaedia. Let us always 
bear in mind these many and powerful causes of deformation, 
and never throw a stone at him who has strayed from the 
right way. A delicate tact is needed in this reciprocal educa¬ 
tion; its base is in the plenary indulgence that the determinist 
idea admits of and in the constant worship by concentration of 




314 THE MASTER KEY 

the moral ideal. The education the child receives from others 
is the first degree, the kindergarten. During the years when 
the intelligence is insufficiently developed, logical persuasion 
must not be rigorous, but a grain of authority will of necessity 
be mixed with teaching. We must add the least possible 
amount of authority; it becomes efficient only when later it 
is completed by advice that shows the pupil how to concen¬ 
trate on the good. As soon as he feels its attraction he will 
look for it alone. At the advent of the age of reason the most 
efficacious education begins, the education of self. 

But here let us understand each other. In the same way 
that there is no free thought, so there cannot be a really free 
education of self. It is impossible for us to will to think, to 
invent ourselves a new idea. We can develop only what has 
been acquired and enlarge the ideas with which we have been 
imbued. Education by others is the master’s lesson; education 
of self by Concentration is the personal work in the individual; 
it works by the data of previous teaching. It is only a repeti¬ 
tion, and if occasionally we add something not in the lesson, 
we use ideas taken from others or drawn from the master of 
us all, experience. The pupil does not voluntarily perform this 
work of development by the decision of a sovereign will; he 
can only give himself up to this increasingly serious study by 
reason of its attraction for him—attraction not given to him, 
but one he submits to from the very fact of previous cultivation. 
To study the piano with enthusiasm, to practice out of les¬ 
sons, one must have felt attraction for it, and be fond of the 
work; thus can one calculate the advantages derived from it. 
Then, and only then, is our attention fixed upon the advice 
of our teacher, and we take pleasure in following it. But how 
many are never able to recognize the attraction and abandon the 
study! It is the same with mental and moral culture. Many 
are given the basis, as in music. But where are the zealous 
pupils who continue their education? Alas, the deserters are 
numerous! It is because they have not tasted its attraction. 
They are like the youngster who would rather play in the 
woods and who yawns when put at the piano, which he hates. 
Isn't this often due to the fact that the teacher has disgusted 
the pupil? 

The education of self and mental discipline is then not 
voluntary or spontaneous. The student gives himself up to 
it only when he has discovered the attraction attached to this 


EDUCATION ETHICALLY DIRECTED 


315 


work of inner perfecting. It only differs from education re¬ 
ceived from others in the fact that he teaches the lesson to 
himself. Attracted by its charm, his attention becomes fixed; 
thought received from others becomes clear, and is developed. 
Our fortune is increased by accumulated interest, like capital 
in a savings-bank, yet there are people who prefer to keep 
their money in a stocking. 

It is still another illusion to consider the education of self 
as the result of a wish. Such education is passive in the sense 
that it is created from a received impulse, which the student 
follows only when it gives him pleasure. When an idea means 
nothing to it, it loses its character as a force-idea, and the 
movement stops. 

Moral ideas are so naturally the result of experience that 
they have been in existence ever since the beginning of human 
thought; that is why we add nothing absolutely new to the 
ethical capital we have inherited from past centuries. Obedient 
to modern association of ideas, we express the same old 
thoughts under different names; we choose pictures from real 
life that ought to illustrate the idea, but on close inspection it 
proves to be just the same old doll dressed in new furbelows. 
New ideas, with a particular nomenclature, spring up only when 
there is a fact that was unknown to our predecessors. This is 
what happens in the field of science, or when experience, most 
often fortuitous, opens new horizons to us. Thus the discover¬ 
ies in electricity, the Roentgen rays, and radium have created 
new words, labeling new conceptions; only a few years are 
needed to make a treatise on natural philosophy old-fashioned. 
Moral ideas, on the contrary, remain the same throughout civili¬ 
zation. If we eliminate from ancient writings a few allusions 
that gave them local color, we shall find the ideas of Socrates, 
Epictetus, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius absolutely modern and 
applicable to our times. In this field of ethical thought men 
remain the same. The everlasting struggle between the priests 
of dogma and the rationalists was long ago summed up in 
this speech of the Stoic slave, “Why don’t we do from reason 
what the Galileans do from habit?” He added a criticism that 
would be pertinent today as it was in the first century of the 
Christian era, when he accused the Christians of not leading a 
life in conformity with their doctrines. I believe that Epictetus, 
traveling now over our civilized world, would retract nothing 
from that just remark. 


316 


THE MASTER KEY 


It is precisely because man does not think as he wishes, but 
as he can, that education should try to enlighten him, to show 
him the road to that inner happiness which lives in the satisfac¬ 
tion of an enlightened conscience. 

Whoever has been touched in his moral feelings by the les¬ 
sons of his childhood will feel the powerful attraction of such 
a state of soul; his association of ideas will fall naturally into 
the circle, his thought will be fixed, beset upon this task of eth¬ 
ical perfecting. He will live with enthusiasm for what is good, 
whether he depends upon a religious belief that satisfies his 
aspirations towards another world or whether he tries to find 
his road by the light of reason. Rationalists have always been 
accused of pride. The reproach would be justified if they pre¬ 
tended to have found or invented the only truth for themselves. 
Their role is more modest; they have only gathered the heri¬ 
tage of previous generations and have taken from it what they 
could understand and love. We cannot ask of a man more than 
the consideration of ideas submitted to him; he has the right 
to examine them by the light of reason, even if it be defective, 
for it is the only lantern that he has in his search for truth. 

Moral Clear-Sightedness and Self-Control. 

The sole liberty that man enjoys is the power to react under 
the influence of an idea, the ability to obey either the motives 
of feeling—that is to say, of his passions—or the motives of 
reason. This obedience is willing, and that is why we call it 
free, but this willingness depends upon our innate and ac¬ 
quired mentality. To struggle against the temptation of the 
passions, we require, not liberty, but self-control, and a uni¬ 
formity of moral views that would make the mental balance 
lean to the right side. It would be necessary for the little 
head, that we suppose at the end of the indicator, to have a 
clear mental and moral view, a distinct vision of what is good 
to concentrate our thoughts on, and of what is bad. 

Education of self alone, in its broadest sense, is able to give 
one this moral clear-sightedness which in the determinist con¬ 
ception replaces the idea of will. The student must see the road 
before taking it. This education of moral conscience is made 
either by his experience of feeling and morals or by that of 
others. It begins by being receptive to the teachings of his 
educators, until his culture is sufficient to permit him the labor 


EDUCATION ETHICALLY DIRECTED 


317 


called personal. This continued culture leads him, not to lib¬ 
erty, but to the control of himself; that is to say, to a benefi¬ 
cent slavery in face of moral feelings imposed upon the spirit. 
One may here speak of the categorical imperative, not native, 
and reduced to an imperceptible core of conscience, but ac¬ 
quired and firmly based upon our understanding. Of this noble 
idea of moral determinism the wise Guyau was able to say, 
“Who does not act according to his thought acts imperfectly.” 

The Determination of Thought. 

In analyzing the determination of thought I have remarked 
that every mental representation of an act produces the imme¬ 
diate accomplishment of that act if it be not prevented by a 
contrary mental representation. This is a fact capable of veri¬ 
fication, but requiring its expression to be perfected. That the 
idea may culminate in action, the mental representation must 
kindle a desire. The pure and intellectual idea has no motive 
power; it acquires this only by the addition of an emotional and 
passionate element. Then only does it become a force-idea, 
according to common speech, sentiment and passion. This is 
what so many great minds have not seen, accustomed, as we 
are, to admit a fundamental difference between reason and 
feeling, to disregard the tie that binds them. Hear what Pascal 
says, that mystical and neurasthenic genius who wrote so well, 
and who so often thought imperfectly: 

Man's conversion is prevented by his idleness, his passions, his 
pride—in a word, by his self-love. We cannot expect to conquer 
this sentiment with an idea; a passion only yields to a passion. 

Truly a passion only yields to a passion, a sentiment only 
yields to a sentiment; I could not put it better. But why did 
not Pascal see that all passions, with the exception of the purely 
animal ones are ideas become sentiments from being forced 
upon our understanding? The passion that Pascal wished to 
oppose to human passions, to ever-recurring egotism, was reli¬ 
gious passion; that is to say, an idea that had become hot from 
having been hammered into his head. 

It is true that man does not act directly under the influence 
of ideas; he is ripened by sentiments. The act must have an 
attraction for him, and if it is a question of a complex idea, of 
a moral conception, he must become enthusiastic before he can 


318 


THE MASTER KEY 


become its apostle. Sometimes the ethical idea presents itself 
to us as does classical feminine beauty; we remain unmoved 
towards the body of a goddess, towards the elegant poise, to¬ 
wards the Grecian nose; she does not awaken love in us. 
But let us know her thoroughly, and we shall recognize the 
qualities of grace, of mind and of heart. Beware, lest she 
strikes like the lightning, for she is more dangerous, and we may 
become her slaves. Thus it is that an idea takes possession of 
some people and holds them in its claws. In an article upon 
Brunetiere, a writer has shown the illustrious critic during his 
march towards Christianity as “guided by his logic as a prisoner 
by his chain” The expression is correct; it demonstrates the 
slavery many men are in concerning their own thought, and 
their personal logic, which is not always that of others. That 
of Brunetitre, through authority and tradition, brought him to 
Rome; that of many others keeps them away just as impe¬ 
riously. 

Many people have noticed that certain thoughts produced a 
particular emotion, the strange sensation of a full heart, of 
precordial suffering. They think they feel that inhaling and 
forcing pump, called their heart, but which in reality is only 
a bodily function intended to keep up the circulation, associate 
itself with their joys as with their griefs, and in their unthink¬ 
ing language they immediately relegated feeling to the heart 
and ideas to the head. The fancy is poetic, and as such merits 
preservation, but the student, while studying psychology, must 
not take comparison for reason. Sentiments are not born in 
the heart, which has quite other functions; they are awakened 
in the mind, under the cold form of mental representation or 
picture. 

Isolated, this idea could not produce the emotional storm, 
but immediately associations of ideas surge up, reawakening 
ideas already stored in our memory, and physical preparations 
are set going, revealing psychic emotion. An isolated string 
of an instrument can vibrate alone and produce a little sound; 
vibrating between other strings, properly stretched, it transmits 
its movement and we get harmony, which gives us more than its 
single sound. It is the same with the life of the mind. Innu¬ 
merable ideas may follow one another through our brains; they 
are isolated strings, vibrating in succession; they produce no 
emotional movement. This is what generally happens in scien¬ 
tific work, in spite of the abundance of ideas busy in our mind. 


EDUCATION ETHICALLY DIRECTED 


319 


We remain cold in spite of intense intellectual work. We read 
a letter, and nothing among this succession of ideas at first 
disturbs us. Suddenly we think we detect a reproach in an 
expression intended to be good-natured; we blush and our 
hearts beat faster. This is because the idea that sprang up 
awakened new ones; the shaking of a string transmitted itself 
to others, and the sound gained in volume. 

It is by this awakening of previous mental representations, 
already become sentiments because they are habitual, and 
touching our pride, that the phenomenon of emotion is pro¬ 
duced. It begins by an idea, to which others link themselves; 
it ends in physiological disturbances—pallor, blushing, tears, 
heart-beatings, catching of breath, stomach trouble, insomnia, 
neurasthenia, etc. 

There is the same difference between the cold intellectual 
idea and warm feeling as between the simple tangible sensation 
and the sensation of grief, which is also accompanied by analo¬ 
gous physiological phenomena. Excitement of the peripheric 
nerves becomes painful when it passes a certain limit, and this 
physical feeling varies in different individuals. If there are 
intense pains which induce in all people analogous reactions, 
there are others confined to certain persons. It is the same 
with emotion; an event to which our neighbor is indifferent 
throws us into the height of agitation, and we recognize it to 
be untimely and disproportionate to the cause which produces 
it. It is because we not only obey the actual mental repre¬ 
sentations, the momentary logical arguments, but obey before 
everything else the yoke of our previous feelings, the ideas 
ranged at the bottom of our personality. They also have been 
intellectual in their time, and they have become sentiments 
because they satisfied our most secret aspiration.. There is not 
between sentiment and reason that antinomy which poets, mor¬ 
alists, even psychologists, and, above all, those impressionable 
beings called “nervous,” are pleased to point out. ^ The heart 
has no “reasons that reason does not understand .” What is 
true is that man does not think perfectly; he allows emotional 
storms to burst forth when cooler and prompter reflection, 
combined with self-control and mental discipline, would have 
prevented it. It is by this clear view of things that we check 
growing emotion, as we stop the vibration of a glass by touch¬ 
ing it with our fingers. It would still be better not to allow it 
to start. 


320 


THE MASTER KEY 


Many of my patients, whose chief trouble is emotional, 
come to me saying they are nervous and suffer from mental 
troubles apart from their reason and physical ailments. The 
truth is that their feelings form a group apart, and their reason 
exists beside them; between these two compartments there 
are air-tight partitions which do not allow their reason to intro¬ 
duce order into their feelings. I tell them, You deceive your¬ 
selves ; there are no primary feelings; they are all bound to a 
mental representation of intellectual order, accessible to the 
criticism of reason. So, also, there is a logic of feelings. 
They should only penetrate your mind and remain there when 
they have received the permission of your reason. The ten¬ 
dency of this class of patients to separate these two fields equals 
the saying, so commonplace and so foolish, “It is stronger than 
I.” This is not the spirit that leads to victory. 

To our passions we can only oppose ideas, but they must 
be sufficiently clear for us to seize and carry them off; they 
then will become feelings (passions), and we will act automat¬ 
ically under their imperious injunction. 

These directing ideas, which should serve as a guide, are 
not voluntarily chosen in what has been called “willing indif¬ 
ference”; our choice is determined by our sympathies; let us 
call it, our moral taste. In the presence of the train of ideas 
continually filing past their eyes, many are like the prince that 
had to marry and to whom a number of young girls was pre¬ 
sented. He is graciously told, “You are free; now choose.” 
It is forgotten that only a certain number of the same social 
rank have been presented to him- and that his choice is forcibly 
restricted. Whom will he choose ? Why, she who best pleases 
him. Will he let himself be led by a pretty face, or by the 
money-bags of an ugly one? Will he act under the moral con¬ 
straint of his father, who gives him liberty in words only? 
Well, that depends upon his mind, and prince though he be, 
he has neither escaped the effects of heredity nor the sugges¬ 
tions of his education. 

There are people who are really lucky in this world. They 
are born among moral surroundings, have been brought up 
kindly, gently, by the affection of their parents, by teaching 
and by example; more important still, they have learned to 
understand these moral ideas and have grasped the advantages 
of beauty. Their education has been carried on with that 
ability which makes for sincerity, without forcing a choice upon 


EDUCATION ETHICALLY DIRECTED 


321 


them. Exterior constraints have disappeared, and the individ¬ 
ual yields only to his personal sympathies; he feels himself 
free. Is it to be wondered at if he becomes wedded to these 
pet ideas, if he be guided through life by them? Other people 
have had the same advantages and have chosen badly; and like 
a dissipated elder son upon whom honorable marriage is urged, 
and who prefers loose women, they disdain virtue. Perhaps 
they have been treated with greater severity; perhaps they are 
incorrigible, abnormal, incapable of appreciating real charm. 
Finally, others are not brought up with this care, but like those 
young men who, without knowing many women, still find 
charming wives, they become enamored of virtue without 
being pushed towards it. Thus, one may go astray in spite 
of all the favorable educative influences which seem to act 
upon him, while another finds the right path alone. 

Education should compel nothing, for constraint produces 
opposition ; it may suggest, present ideas, demonstrate the ad¬ 
vantages of them, and create a liking for them without urging 
them with displeasing insistence. 

In the education of themselves, some are like the marrying 
man who, arriving home, thinks over the girls that have been 
suggested to him, finding in one new charms, in another more 
serious qualities. They also are smitten with ideas submitted 
to their judgment. Alas, they are often unfaithful to them, 
but the choice made, this love must increase and the bond 
become unbreakable! 

Education of ourselves when it succeeds unites us to an 
ideal of good. We may borrow these governing ideas from 
a set of doctrines, obey a religion that we admit to be revealed, 
those moral laws which Le Play called an “eternal decalogue.” 
There are also many people who require authority, who like to 
bend before it, as well as to use it over others. Needless to say, 
I am not one of them. 

We may also construct this ideal by thought, by an increas¬ 
ing attachment to conceptions which to us seem good, useful 
for us, for others, and for humanity. The ideal is the idea car¬ 
ried to infinity; we move towards the establishment of this 
conception like the mathematician who draws a finite line on 
the board and asks us to consider it infinite, by supposing that 
it continues forever. 

There is nobody in the world, however disinherited he may 
be, who has not experienced the benefit of kindness from a 


322 


THE MASTER KEY 


mother, a friend, or some person or other—perhaps only that 
of a faithful dog. From that minute he has the conception of 
that virtue. It is easy for him to imagine somebody better 
than his benefactor, and beyond that other, still a better one. 
This “always better” leads us straight to infinity, to the ideal 
of kindness. In the same way we conceive the ideal of other 
virtues, if we concentrate our mind on virtue, whose beauty we 
recognize, and it is this gathered knowledge that will make the 
beacon of our ideal. 

Alas, many often allow this beacon to go out, which they 
should so carefully preserve, and render brighter by adding 
the ideal of another virtue! There are virtues whose beauty 
some do not immediately recognize; thus humility is very little 
appreciated and chastity is ridiculed. It needs a certain ma¬ 
turity of mind to arrive at patience and indulgence; these are 
not the virtues of youth. The greatest fault of man is to lower 
his ideal, while it can never be placed too high. It is not a 
goal within our reach; it is a star in the firmament, of “true 
faith in self ” that guides our feet. Doubtless many often 
go astray; they forget to look at the star that should guide 
them, but it is always there, and so they should look up! Do 
not become discouraged, and, to make the task easier, do not 
take an object nearer you as guide, a will-o’-the-wisp which is 
disappearing, the light of a house about to be put out, a traveler 
who does not know the way. “Faith in yourself is the Master 
Key!' 

You cannot make terms with virtue, nor arrangements with 
“faith.” This ideal seems lacking in the present generation. 

Man’s faith in himself disappears, stifled under a mass of 
superstitions; it inflames only a few isolated souls in whom 
education has developed tradition; it is associated with the 
dogmas of others, with faithful attachment to superannuated 
political forms, to an unchanging social order; it is the ideal 
of natures deeply conservative, lost in this troubled age where 
everything is given up to motive, where doubt corrodes man’s 
ideas. The result is an indescribable uneasiness from this 
transitory state of mind, and for man’s happiness he must re¬ 
turn to a faith—in himself; that is to say, he must seek the 
kingdom of God within himself. A few thinkers retain a 
valiant religious optimism and hope that after many strayings 
the docile sheep will come under the crook. Their watch 
seems to me to be slow, like Brunetiere, that great but wrong 


EDUCATION ETHICALLY DIRECTED 


323 


headed man of letters. We must not forget the thousands of 
souls that reform has separated from Rome, those prosperous 
nations that have found in the education of themselves, in a 
religion of mind and self, their strongest support. We must 
have no illusion about the religious feeling of the masses osten¬ 
sibly remaining faithful; the authority of the Church has only 
trained them to an apparent obedience. It has developed in 
them, not religious needs, but cultivated habits, without moral 
influence. It is easier to subscribe to these rites, to go to mass 
or to a sermon, to eat fish, or to fast than to change one’s heart 
and become better today than one was yesterday. 

What man needs is faith in the inward powers of his own 
soul and, an attachment increasingly greater to ethical views, 
contributing to give him happiness and physical well being upon 
this earth; not that happiness dependent upon circumstances, 
but inner happiness entirely resulting from a complete unison 
between conduct and the ideal aspiration. 

Some, who would have us think them very pious, speak 
disdainfully of this utilitarian morality that consists of the 
search for happiness. Now, those who rail would be unable 
to name an act of their lives that was not performed under 
the influence of this ineradicable desire. A moral that was 
not utilitarian would run a great risk of being a moral without 
utility and without force. Criticism of this independent 
morality would be just if personal interest were its guide. 
One must be blind to found morality upon egoism, but that 
is a word the sense of which we must agree upon before we 
wrangle about it. 

Faith In Self “The Master Key.” 

Who can tell the delights of, u faith in self” 

A faith, for faith is (( The Master Key,” which turns rea¬ 
son into sense, and belief into things hoped for. 

Man should live by, <( faith in himself;” and this faith is the 
kind that draws down satisfaction, health and success into the 
life of all. But we must not mistake; this kind of a faith is 
here but in its infancy. 

This is the faith that comes “with purified reason.” 

Through this medium one beholds and loves the world in 
its order and beauty; by its means souls follow after and feel 
success, health and guidance in their lives. With them (( the 


324 THE MASTER KEY 

tree of knowledge grows beside the tree of life” which is “faith 
in self.” 

When the soul hath the full measure of complement of 
happiness; when the boundless appetite of that spirit remains 
completely satisfied, that it can neither desire addition or altera¬ 
tion, that is truly “faith in self” 

Man’s will and intellect must be passive to receive by faith 
“things hoped for” 

Discontent is a “mingled web of faith and doubt” in the 
soul. 

Faith in self is only obtained after “many a death of doubt ” 
inward and outward. 

Faith in oneself is a luminous star that leads the honest 
seeker into the deeper truths of mind and soul. 

“Obedience to good thoughts is liberty.” 

In this nineteenth century, when men are splitting hairs 
about predestination and the scheme of salvation, imputed 
righteousness and the like, let us deal with themes such as 
follow here. God in His world—Divine Immanence; God in 
man—the kinship of the Divine and Human; God in Christ 
—the Incarnation; God in Himself. 

“The world is in God, rather than God in the world.” 
He could not write His image so that it could be read, save 
only in rational natures. Whenever we look upon our own 
souls in a right manner, we shall find an Urim and Thummim 
there.” “Faith is that which unites man more and more to 
the center of life and love.” 

“The foundation of heaven and hell is laid in men's own 
souls.” 

“The gospel . . . is life whereby faith comes to dwell 

in us, and we in it.” 

“Belief in self attracts life and spirit which, flowing out 
from the source of all life, returns to him again as into its 
original, carrying the souls of good men up with it.” 

“It is only life which can fully converse with life.” 

“The waste, silent solitude,” found by those who “make 
their whole life desolate of faith in themselves,” has nothing 
uplifting about it; it really proceeds from “the stillness and 
fixedness of melancholy” of their own oppressed, cheerless 
nature. 


EDUCATION ETHICALLY DIRECTED 


325 


“Know Thyself.” 

That the past centuries have been a time of “stum and 
drang” for the soul is evident; the painful, often blundering, 
search after what is true and real and would bear the stress 
of life is going on on every hand; conventions are being broken 
down, and in numberless cases the soul has felt itself nakedly 
face to face with the magical words of the lowly Nazarene— 
“Know Thyself 

The above illustrates the tone of my teachings, and their 
epigrammatic force. 


®Ifp Master 2£eg 

CHAPTER XXXII. 

LESSON THIRTY. 

INDIVIDUAL MENTAL EFFICIENCY. 

The mental efficiency of an individual is in direct propor¬ 
tion to the quality of his mental powers and the control he 
possesses over them. 

Improvement in mental hygiene depends upon a knowledge 
of the causes which produce mental troubles, and mental de¬ 
fects, and the application of proper means which will bring 
about in whole or in part the eradication of mental disorders. 

In many, inherent mental characteristics or lack of char¬ 
acteristics do not manifest themselves until middle life. Per¬ 
verted mental states then begin to show themselves by the 
gradual or sudden manifestation of peculiarities in thinking, 
speech, feeling and conduct. 

It is thus the various kinds of mental defectives and indi¬ 
viduals with mental anomalies are produced. There are cer¬ 
tain periods in the life of those predisposed to mental dis¬ 
orders where a mental breakdown is likely to occur unless some 
means of prevention are used. These danger zones are, for 
men between the age of thirty and sixty, for it is during 
this time that the strain and stress of life is more keenly felt. 
For women the danger periods are at the on-coming of woman¬ 
hood, pregnancy, child-birth and the change of life. 

During the life of those who are predispossed to dementia, 
nervous and mental breakdowns, environmental conditions may 
be so bad that they not only pave the way for “nerve storms,” 
but they really precipitate them. 

As the mentally defective individual grows older, life’s de¬ 
teriorations and perversions manifest themselves, and if he is 
utterly destitute of Mental Discipline, and ignorant of the 

326 


INDIVIDUAL MENTAL EFFICIENCY 327 

causes which develop mental disease and mental defects he is 
unable to properly adjust himself to his environment. 

While in this condition he comes in contact with his fellow 
men, and his fellow men judge him as being a mental wreck, 
and call him insane. 

Dementia is a form of insanity caused by a lack of self- 
control and bad mental habits. 

It will be to the student’s interest to note that almost one- 
third of the admissions to the detention hospitals are mental 
unfortunates suffering from dementia or allied diseases due to 
bad mental habits formed by faulty concentration. 

Specialists in mental and brain disorders know that many 
who suffer from diseases are the authors of their own mis¬ 
fortunes; and not always they alone, but their relatives and 
their fellow men. 

The reader must not be impressed that the above applies 
only to those nervous patients who, since the discovery of 
neurasthenia, crowd the physician’s office. 

The writer’s dictum does not refer to invalids alone; it 
applies to many who are perhaps too confident of their own 
mental balance. It applies to physicians equally as to patients; 
to educators of all kinds as well as their pupils. 

When one considers the life of the mind, it becomes no 
longer possible to divide humanity into two classes, the sick 
and the well. Neurasthenia, of which one hears so much 
nowadays, is not a disease that attacks the patient like rheuma¬ 
tism or consumption; it is a psychic form of mental weakness 
that the patient owes to his natural and hereditary defects, 
to his badly directed education of the causes of mental dis¬ 
orders, and, again, to the vicious influences which act upon 
him during his entire physical and mental development. 

It is not a weakness of nerves such as the word “neuras¬ 
thenia” implies; it is, above all, mental debility, and psychas - 
tenia” is the word to express it. 

When hereditary and constitutional influences seem to pre¬ 
dominate, the debility is accounted illness; it appears essen¬ 
tially physical because it manifests itself by functional troubles, 
by intellectual blemishes—the fore-runner of mental and moral 
decay. 

It is to the physician that these disinherited, these de¬ 
generates apply; for them the world has no sympathy only 
when their suffering is at its height. 


328 


THE MASTER KEY 


They are closer to us than you imagine, you who are prone 
to judge others severely and take pride in your own mental 
poise; remember that no man is a hero either to his physician 
or to his valet, or to those who know his private life. Each 
man has some defect due to heredity, none are perfect. Educa¬ 
tion itself plays an immense part in forming these pathological 
mental conditions; it spoils the judgment of those who call 
themselves normal and who imagine themselves in a position 
to cast a look of contemptuous pity upon their less fortunate 
brethren. 

In the Carnavalet Museum in Paris is an autograph of 
'Alexandre Dumas, the younger, that is worth a whole treatise 
on philosophy. 

It says: “How does it happen that while children are so 
intelligent, men are so stupid?” 

The witty author adds: “Education must he responsible 
for it.” Yes, education is chiefly to blame; no other hypoth¬ 
esis is possible. It is indeed to various educational influ¬ 
ences, in the broadest sense of the word, to the influence of 
environment, that we must ascribe this gradual mental and 
physical decadence we so often encounter. 

The fact is, people do not learn how to think. Bad habits 
of thinking pass insensibly into actual mental disease. Again, 
a busy man who is capable of doing a great amount of think¬ 
ing may not know, due to faulty education of what brings 
on mental and physical ill health, when the danger line of a 
mental breakdown has been reached. 

.He does not know his mental strength; he overworks his 
brain and brings on an abnormal mental state which quickly 
produces physical symptoms of a nervous breakdown. 

The fact is, men do not learn how to think. Schools 
impart to students, even more zealously, knowledge of which 
they can only use the smallest part; it burdens their memory, 
and only serves to temper their intelligence with a common¬ 
place stereotyped logic, which they think will equip them for 
the struggle of life. 

This hot-house culture does not develop their judgment; 
on the contrary, it clouds it by giving the student ready-made 
opinions to digest, without teaching him to appreciate their 
accuracy. 

.Many today are prone to copy their neighbors when it is 
futile or even bad to do so; they respect traditions in all de- 


INDIVIDUAL MENTAL EFFICIENCY 


329 


partments without submitting them, for an instant, to criti¬ 
cism and reason. Thinking seems to be very tiresome for 
some. 

The physician who every day is called upon to interview 
the mentally diseased experiences painful surprises in finding 
how warped are the minds of individuals who are proud of 
their intelligence, and belong to recognized social and what 
are called governing classes. 

I have no intention whatever to speak here of present-day 
difficulties as if the world had just started to go wrong. No; 
weakness of judgment and mental anomalies have always 
existed since the world begun—and this fact well justifies the 
epigram of George Eliot, “We are born in a state of moral 
stupidity” 

Judgment is what is needed in life—a clear knowledge of 
our mind and defects, enabling us to foresee the immediate 
and future consequence of bad mental habits ond wrong think¬ 
ing. Men have this foresight when it comes to protecting 
their material interests. 

What intelligence do they not display when in the pursuit 
of these benefits. But when it comes to the question of 
Mental Hygiene and Mental Discipline, or to the question of 
their moral life, their conduct and the consequence of their 
acts, they lose their power of judgment. 

Life has only one aim, to be lived, and it is an art to 
live it well, to draw from it the sum of happiness for which 
the world desperately strives, from the voluptuary, who so 
easily loses his way, to the religious or philosophical idealist 
who, in a radiance of light, sees love in his path. 

Many believe that peace and happiness does not belong 
to earth life and soothe themselves with the hope of eternal 
bliss in the life beyond, which will at last compensate them 
for the injustice of destiny from which they suffer. 

I do not believe in this terrestrial discouragement. Among 
the vicissitudes of life too many are avoidable—those for 
which we are responsible—for us to have the right to fold our 
hands and reserve our hopes for celestial joys. There are 
without doubt calamities that befall mankind, that trouble 
his life, and which he is powerless to exorcise; but they will 
always befall poor humanity. Shall they necessarily destroy 
his inner happiness? No. While one sees many people who 
are afraid to live, who despair at the smallest failure, and 


330 


THE MASTER KEY 


who are unhappy, there are souls who bravely endure many 
ills, including poverty, the death of those who belong to them, 
and the ruin of all their hopes. Multiplied misfortunes fall 
upon their shoulders, but their faith and inner happiness re¬ 
mains unshaken; they do not take refuge in a disdainful 
stoicism which would be a loss of feeling, but in a hidden 
content, which is their greatest possession. 

The overcoming of mental deterioration, improvement of 
mental health, the eradication of mental disorders and the 
development of moral personality is only possible by the educa¬ 
tion of self., Every step man takes along this road contributes 
to his happiness and involves those who, willing or unknown 
to themselves, come under his influence. 

For the improvement of mental health mental habits are 
important considerations. 

Poor hygienic surroundings, incorrect habits of thought and 
feeling, and false modes of living often makes life uncom¬ 
fortable and tedious and in many cases actually brings on a 
mental attack. 

Every individual has in the course of his life many trials 
and tribulations. He is the possessor of uncomfortable feelings, 
secret longings, troubled thoughts, ardent desires and internal 
mental conflicts. 

Those, who have learned the value of thought control and 
mental, discipline bring these mental troubles under control 
and dispose of them by casting them out of their mind. 
Bitter thoughts, worries and bad mental habits are brought 
from the dark recesses of the mind, are carefully considered, 
and then placed where they belong, a certain amount of weight 
or importance being given to each annoyance. 

One of the best methods of overcoming one's troubles, 
as stated elsewhere in this work, is to forget them, banish 
them away to the deep sea of nothingness. It is not necessary 
to incite your mind to think always of your misfortunes. 
Some people sleep six hours at night and let their mind dwell 
uninterruptedly upon their “worries” eighteen hours a day. In 
their sleep they dream about what has previously occupied 
their mind. One would think they would sometimes wish 
for a moment of rest from their ever-active morbid thoughts. 
The heart, that slave, known as a bodily function, which is 
forced to pound along without compensation during the entire 
life of a nervous, worrying individual, should inspire their 


INDIVIDUAL MENTAL EFFICIENCY 331 

pity, but at least it has no feeling; like a wild animal tamed, 
it is not conscious of its constant drudgery and misery. 

Is it any wonder nervous people have heart trouble when 
this organ is kept under a constant strain due to internal mental 
conflicts. 

r Nervous people are always thinking of their troubles. 
When they are sad and miserable they cry out and lament 
their lot. When they are happy they cloud their present 
joys by selfish regret for the past and a morbid fear for the 
future. 

The brain of those who make up that large class of cases, 
the maniac-depressive group, literally exhaust their mental 
health. What surprises the observing medical man is not 
the fact that there should be so many suffering from delusions 
and dementia, but that the brains of this class, who suffer 
from mental deterioration, should be able to resist the con¬ 
tinual procession of morbid ideas and nervous emotions which 
they produce by their fevered and disordered mental activity. 
Those, of this class, who must live and earn a livelihood should 
interest themselves in others and affairs other than their own, 
as this tends to lesson the importance of their own trials and 
mental conflict, no matter how serious these may be. 

Another healthy means by which some find relief is to tell 
a sympathetic friend their troubles, and in this manner their 
trials deteriorate into comparative insignificance, and they 
come forth victoriously from their mental combat. Many 
who suffer mental ill health are, however, powerless to over¬ 
come their troubles. 

Their controlling desires and mental defects get the better 
of them, and they are unable to set them aside. 

Their strength to equalize and balance mental troubles is 
not sufficiently strong, and, finally, after a long struggle, their 
beliefs and torments burst forth in the shape of false delusions, 
or they imagine that they hear voices. 

Sometimes they suffer from hallucinations claiming to have 
seen strange things, and it is thus they become insane. 

There are on the streets of every city today people suf¬ 
fering from physical diseases who should be in some hospital. 
There are, also, on these same streets, thousands who are 
suffering from serious mental troubles and mental habits of 
a constitutional character. 

This large number of mental inferiors, eccentrics, mental 


332 


THE MASTER KEY 


wrecks, and others suffering from different border line types 
of mental diseases, while allowed freedom and considered 
harmless, would, for obvious reasons, be much better off if 
sent to some sanitarium or hospital where mental ills are 
treated. 

There are over two hundred and twenty-five thousand in¬ 
sane people in the United States today. 

Almost the number that goes to make up the population 
of such a city as Cleveland or Pittsburgh. 

The number of insane confined in state institutions on 
December 30, 1910, was almost two hundred thousand. The 
cost of taking care of this vast army of mental unfortunates 
is over thirty million dollars annually. It is a conservative 
estimate that there is one out of every five hundred population 
that is a mental wreck or a mental defective. Again, it is a 
conservative estimate that one out of every six hundred of 
the population of the United States is today a victim of 
epilepsy, which is a chronic physico-mental disease characterized 
by irregular attacks of unconsciousness with or without con¬ 
vulsions. 

As I have stated before what many need today is teachings 
in mental hygiene. 

The mental unfortunate, who is always troubled with the 
delusion of looking for slights from relatives and others, and 
who is constantly on the lookout for offense when there is none 
given, later may, in the absence of those balancing factors, 
known as mental discipline and self-control, become the victim 
of permanent persecutory delusions; that is to say, he will 
imagine that he is. being persecuted by others. 

The things which make logical thinking so difficult for 
many are preconceived ideas, dogmas of all sorts, false settled 
convictions, solidified, in a word, and obtruded upon them by 
those with whom they live—their relatives, so well meaning 
but often so clumsy and ignorant, friends and advisers, whom 
they have chosen unwisely, the class in which they believe, 
and socially all with whom they come in contact, to whose 
contagion they unwittingly lay themselves open. 

As the child imitates its parents, so they copy their neigh¬ 
bors and listen to their advice when it is even bad to do so; 
they respect traditions in all departments without submitting 
them for an instant, to criticism and reason. 

Thinking appears to be very tiresome, while seeking thought 


INDIVIDUAL MENTAL EFFICIENCY 333 

control or mental discipline is checked by their pursuit of 
religious dogmas. 

Increasingly mental defects and abnormal thinking, which 
have remained unchecked, and which have not been intelligently 
analyzed nor controlled by their possessors, may come to the 
surface at a later time in their life in the form of mental 
disorders and false beliefs. 

It has thus been shown that the individual who tolerates 
abnormal thought, and cultivates bad mental habits, passes 
unconsciously into a state where he actually suffers from men¬ 
tal disease. 

Jealousy, selfishness, doubt, fear, suspiciousness, undue 
sensitiveness, morbid meditation, brooding, seclusiveness, 
worry, despondency and excesses, if unchecked or uninterrupted 
will run riot and make a mental and moral wreck of their 
victim. 

False education, conventional fallacies concerning health, 
the lack of practical mental and physical training, lack of 
mental hygiene, the endeavor to perform tasks beyond one’s 
capabilities, alcohol, animal sensuality, idleness, dishonesty, the 
acquisition of useless and false beliefs all encourage unhy¬ 
gienic mental habits and pave the way for serious mental dis¬ 
eases and nervous breakdowns later on in life. 

Unchastity is always followed by mental defects. In view 
of this, those who unite to work in common for the improve¬ 
ment of morality should not be so severely criticised. 

In speaking in public on the subject of chastity, a term 
so rarely written today that it has an archaic air, one often 
hears remarks mingled with the scornful laugh of some none 
too well mannered young lady. 

One can see the discreet but yet mocking smile of many 
honest women; you detect also at times the heart broken sob 
of the girl who has seen her dream of happiness crumble away. 

Why this quasi-unanimity of revolt when one dares to 
recommend self-control in this domain? Because, we are told, 
one must not interfere with the right of man to love. 

Is it not a natural law, a primordial, ineffaceable instinct ? 

Far be it from me to condemn love even when it is reduced 
to the merest animal sensuality. 

By a false belief many force themselves not to see the influ¬ 
ence that amorous passion has upon the mind; it seems as if 
they were ashamed of it; others realize very clearly the slavery 


334 


THE MASTER KEY 


in which they live. The Pharisee still constitutes the virtuous 
man in society. Judging from appearances, one might think 
humanity were all asexual. 

Man lowers himself beneath the brute when he gives him¬ 
self up to libidinous thoughts; on the contrary; he raises him¬ 
self by ethical thought to a more beautiful conception of love 
when he puts feelings of real affection first, and when the 
union of souls completes the bodily union. 

I should not care to make man a mental eunuch, avoiding, 
by continual asceticism, the slavery of passion. I understand 
chastity to mean, according to the dictionary, “abstention from 
illicit pleasures, and reasonable control in pleasure allowed.” 

I do not speak here of that complete and definite abstinence 
which is unnatural, and I know that,— “Too many men take 
vows of chastity to keep them. )} 

However, this much I have to say that the man or woman 
who indulges in unchastity is known by all medical men as a 
mental and moral pervert. No man or woman can steep their 
souls in the dregs of sensuality and retain their mental equi¬ 
librium. 


01jp Haster 2Caj 

fart §>tx 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 

LESSON THIRTY-ONE. 

CONCENTRATION APPLIED TO HEALTH 
AND DISEASE. 

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF FAITH AND DOUBT. 

Fundamental mental states of belief and faith for health 
generates health; while fundamental mental states of fear and 
doubt for health generates disease. 

In short, positive mental states of faith and doubt are for 
or against health. 

Fear and doubt of self to become immune to disease are 
active generators of mental poisons and physical ; toxicants; 
while worry is a destructive element ever tending to destroy 
mental discipline and over throw the mind. 

I have emphasized faith and doubt in the origin, cause, 
cure and prevention of physical and mental ailments, because 
in the past they have always been associated with some par¬ 
ticular religion, moral teaching, or system of Christian healing. 

Right here I desire to separate the study of mind and 
thought as well as faith and doubt from any particular cult, 
creed or brands of religion. 

It is my object, as far as my efforts are concerned in this 
work, to uphold et faith and belief in one's self ” as the emanci¬ 
pators of men and women from the bondage and servitude of 
doubt and fear. 

Many are vying with others about New Thought, Chris¬ 
tian Science, religious beliefs and spirit healing, all of which 
are premature, unscientific, superstitious, misleading, incompe- 
335 


336 


THE MASTER KEY 


tent, incomplete, oriental and very disastrous in their mislead¬ 
ing influence upon the minds and morals of their adherents. 

I would admonish the student to beware of “philosophical 
fads,” “healing cults,” “ism,” “Spirit Healers” and the claims 
these people make in their literature. 

Let the student approach the subject with his feet tread¬ 
ing on a foundation of common sense and reason. 

Let him get away from the shadow of mysticism and su¬ 
perstition which has darkened the path to reason for centuries. 

Let the student approach the subject of mind from the 
standpoint of the trained psychologist. 

Let him examine all the actual facts respecting the effect 
of thought, and the various mental states on the physicial body 
during both disease and health. 

Let him learn from observation and experience just how 
thought and mental states affect the functions of the human 
body in disease and health. 

Concentration, belief and auto-suggestion is like unto a 
two-edged sword; it cuts both ways. Therefore, man needs 
a knowledge of its nature and possibilities as much to pro¬ 
tect him from all of his own adverse concentration, auto-sug¬ 
gestion and morbid meditation as he does from that of others. 

The student should study the psychology of faith and doubt 
in such a way that he can obtain conclusions and be able to 
comprehend them. 

He will then understand the universal law of thought and 
mental therapeutics. He will know the Psychology of Faith 
and Doubt. 

********* 

Every human being prefers health to disease; prefers hap¬ 
piness to misery, suffering, insanity and an early death. 

When we look with pity upon those around us, that are 
heavily laden with afflictions and begin to realize their pain and 
poverty, their sorrow and despair, we then begin to under¬ 
stand the truth of that line by Shakespeare which follows: 

t( There is no darkness but ignorance 

Sorrow, bodily disease and mental ailments are, in almost 
every case, traceable to the individual being ignorant of the 
cause of their troubles, and the fact that, by the intelligent 
application of concentration, he could become immune. 


HEALTH AND DISEASE 


337 


Bad health is the fruits of a material and not a psychologi¬ 
cal education. 

The real student will study the psychology of “fear and 
disease ” “faith and belief in self ’ as taught herein. . 

It is only ignorance of the origin and cause of disease and 
pain that makes sickness and misery so prevalent. 

Many persons are loud in their lamentations and wonder 
why God has sent these afflictions upon them, while they bring 
them upon themselves, by an improper use of their mind, or 
mental forces. 

This is the great fundamental error and the cause of many 
nervous diseases, sorrow and despair, as very few have any 
true knowledge of the science and art of living any more than 
they have of— “the psychology of faith and fear ” 

The puzzling and perplexing problem of disease finds it 
only rational solution in the relation that exists between mind 
and body. 

The question is often asked why so many souls pass pre¬ 
maturely out of the physical body through the agency of dis¬ 
ease? Why is it that you seldom hear of a natural death? 
Why have so few persons a perfectly sound and normal body ? 

There is but one logical answer: The human body is de¬ 
veloped and strengthened by positive thoughts concentrated 
on health, reinforced by a perfect faith in oneself for health. 

This regulates to healthy action the functions and organs 
of the body. People are now experiencing a decided reaction 
against the overly learned materialism of past years. 

It is mental efficiency, scientific concentration, mental disci¬ 
pline and mental hygiene combined with literal faith and belief 
in one’s self for health, that courts and attracts physical well 
being and mental equilibrium; while their opposites are har¬ 
bingers of physical diseases and mental ailments. 

No observing or intelligent person will deny that a 
despondent or gloomy condition of mind affects the health. 

The body is the outgrowth of the mind, representing the 
nature and condition of the life forces within it. In the right 
control and direction of thought lies a mighty factor m the 
curing and healing of disease and pain; for we must deal with 
causes and not effects. 

A mind perfectly controlled and directed in the proper 
channels of strength and health-giving thoughts will produce 
and maintain a normal healthy body. 


338 


THE MASTER KEY 


The human mind is a loom—constantly weaving. Our 
thoughts are the warp and woof of that fabric which the 
mind weaves. If the thoughts out of which the fabric has 
been woven are concentrated, positive and health-giving, we 
have strong healthy bodies free from disease and pain; but if 
our thoughts are negative and we have no faith, then our bod¬ 
ies which are the fabrics woven from this impure and defective 
warp and woof, will be afflicted with disease and ailments. 

As stated above if our thoughts are negative and we doubt 
our ability to ward off disease, this mental attitude effects the 
body and its various functions in health and disease. 

Our manner of thinking; the thoughts which are enter¬ 
tained in the mind or soul, shape and form the destiny of man; 
bringing to him sickness or health, poverty or wealth, affliction 
or happiness. 

What has been thought either by ourselves or our mothers 
determines what we are or what we will be. The mother*, by 
her condition of mind, molds and forms the characteristics and 
traits of her child as stated in a following chapter. 

Children are always stamped with parental individuality. 
Therefore, every one sails this great sea of life, subject to con¬ 
centration, heredity and environment. Our surroundings from 
which we receive external impressions, or suggestions, furnish 
us with thought material. If we receive into our mind good 
material for pure health-giving thoughts, we have strong 
healthy bodies. If we accept or select that which is bad, and 
makes doubtful thoughts, we have weak and diseased bodies, 
and are surrounded by afflictions and misery. 

From the right control and direction of thought the soul 
receives happiness while the body receives health. Thought 
influences build and control every organ and function of the 
physical body. 

Mental discouragement and depression are accompanied 
by a disinclination for exertion and a sense of bodily fatigue. 

A combination of symptoms and complaints follows dis¬ 
appointments and worry, and the removal of the cause is 
followed by an immediate disappearance of the effect 

A depressed or wearied condition of mind inhibits life and 
energy, and a constant dwelling of thought on some real or 
imaginary trouble wrecks the mind and destroys the human 

LeSSOn Thirt y- thre <=. "Concentration During The 





HEALTH AND DISEASE 


339 


body. Worry sends to a premature grave or the insane asylum 
all who harbor it as a constant companion. The extent to 
which it kills is appalling to contemplate, and one should drive 
it out of his mind as he would a thief or an unwelcome guest 
from his house. This can be done by concentrating on peace 
and calmness. 

It is the duty of every man to suppress his evil and morbid 
tendencies, and encourage those that are good and noble. 

We all know that in every human soul, as in the smallest 
bud or flower, are encamped the opposing hosts of good and 
evil—of disease and health. 

Every human soul at birth is launched upon the mighty 
sea of right and wrong, of disease and health, of joy and 
grief, of life and death. And it is only by a knowledge of 
the science of being that we are able to avoid the rocks and 
tragic depths of earthly life. 

Physical disease and discomfort are most always traceable 
to mental causes, many being mental in origin. The material 
body always responds to mental impressions. 

There is an abundance of evidence reaching from the re¬ 
motest ages to the present time, to support or demonstrate 
this fact. 

“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, 
but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” 

— ( Prov . xvii:22.) 

A quiet, pleasant and composed condition of mind resting 
upon a foundation of belief in self maintains a healthy body. 

Sleep knits up the raveled sleeve of care. 

Joy and happiness do the system far more good than drugs. 
Narcosis (sleep produced by narcotics) leaves the system de¬ 
pleted and weakened. While the sleep of those with a peace¬ 
ful and contented mind restores and builds up the wasted ener¬ 
gies of the body. 

Disappointment and gloom fill the physical body with 
disease and pain, sapping life’s vitality and energy. 

Hatred and revenge poison the blood and he who enter¬ 
tains revengeful thoughts brings a curse on himself. 

Anxiety and fear, or an irritable condition of mind, induces 
hysteria, insomnia and other nervous symptoms. 

Those who are confident in their ability to ward off dis- 


340 


THE MASTER KEY 


ease and sickness, thereby placing the life forces on the defen¬ 
sive, can expose themselves to contagious diseases without 
any fear of contracting them. 

This is especially true of the professional nurse and physi¬ 
cians who are so accustomed to being among the sick that they 
have no fear of exposing themselves to the most contagious 
disease. 

It is this fear and expectancy of contracting a disease, 
and which fills the mind of most people when they enter a 
sick room, or are in any way exposed, that invites disease and 
makes the body susceptible by weakening those forces, which, 
if properly governed, will throw off the most contagious dis¬ 
ease known. 

Every intelligent human being is making a pilgrimage in 
pursuit of health and happiness. This is true of the sinner 
as well as of the saint; of the humble as well as of the exalted; 
of the disinherited as well as the prosperous. This innate de¬ 
sire of the human heart for perfect health and happiness is 
universally recognized as its legitimate, inalienable and divine 
right, for these aspirations and yearnings are common to all 
mankind. 

But how can true happiness and success in life be obtained? 
This is the great rock in the turbulent stream of life upon 
which poor humanity splits. Opinions upon this subject are 
at great variance. Some fancy health and happiness lie in 
wealth. Others that peace and happiness come of knowledge, 
while others court ignorance to obtain it. Some seek and 
expect to find it here, and others are waiting patiently its 
acquisition in the great hereafter. As a natural consequence, 
of course, disappointments are many, and history swells with 
the record of broken hearts. 

A final analysis of the universal struggle for peace, health 
and happiness leads to a definite conclusion upon the subject 
and which cannot fail to interest every intelligent person. As 
the common aspiration is the acquisition of health and happi¬ 
ness, no reasoning person would seek it where it is not to be 
obtained, but, without a true knowledge of the path which leads 
to it the earthly wayfarer is left to fancy and speculation and 
becomes a creature of circumstance, hence the mistakes, dis¬ 
appointments, sickness and sorrow of life. The person who 
imagines that health, peace of mind and happiness lie solely in 
the possession of wealth is not liable to be particular as to the 


HEALTH AND DISEASE 


341 


means by which it is obtained, and when once the coveted 
treasure is in his possession he believes that all the problems 
of life are satisfactorily solved. If before he began his strug¬ 
gle for ill-gotten wealth he could only have realized that dis¬ 
honesty and selfishness are fatal to health and peace of mind 
he would never have resorted to such methods, but in his ignor¬ 
ance of what leads to true happiness and health he blundered. 

Selfishness never brings the slightest degree of that com¬ 
fort and consolation which are essential to good health and 
happiness. A man with a true knowledge of the origin and 
cause of unhappiness and disease would never be jealous or 
covetous, for these are selfish vices, and selfishness always 
brings pain instead of pleasure. A man who knows that the 
pleasures and allurements which earth has to offer her children 
do not in themselves insure health or happiness, would never 
be proud and seek satisfaction in ostentatious display of any 
kind, for he would know that comparisons are extremely odious, 
and it would simply visit upon him the enmity of his fellow 
men instead of that good will in which he could find peace, 
comfort and happiness. Neither would he seek political or social 
preferment merely for the sake of power, for he would under¬ 
stand that all true greatness lies in service to others and not in 
the glittering garb of authority. A man wise in the science 
and art of being would not seek health or happiness in sensu¬ 
ality, for he would know only too well that those who have 
sought it in the lusts of the flesh have indulged their appetites 
to satiety in vain, for the flesh profiteth nothing, and its true 
mission is for man’s service and not his mastery. 

Every human being should understand the great funda¬ 
mental, life-giving truth and principle, that perfect health (a 
physical condition) and true happiness (a mental condition) 
are the outcome and depend upon the right direction and con¬ 
trol of the mind or mental forces within the body. 

Health and success in life are the outcome of man’s indi¬ 
vidualism, and depend entirely upon his knowledge of and 
his mastery over his own mind or soul. 

If man encourages and cultivates perverted mental condi¬ 
tions, by entertaining a doubtful, apprehensive condition of 
mind, pain and disease follow as surely as the cart follows 
the ox that draws it. If man encourages and cultivates a 
confident self-possessed condition of mind and entertains pure, 
health-giving thoughts, health, happiness and success will fol - 


342 


THE MASTER KEY 


low like a shadow that never leaves him, for they are the fruits 
of a pure, well-balanced and controlled mind or soul. 

It is soul satisfaction, obtained through <( true faith in self ” 
which alone constitutes happiness and health, and is entirely in¬ 
dependent of all material or outward considerations or circum¬ 
stances. There is not the slightest doubt of the correctness of 
this conclusion, and all human experience must inevitably 
sooner or later lead to it. 

‘‘What man is there that is fearful and 
faint hearted? Let him go and return unto 
his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as 
well. — ( Deut . xx:8.) 

Confidence, faith in yourself and a strong mind bring 
health and peace, while despondency, doubt and fear sink 
the soul deep into the slough of misery and despair. Inquietude 
and discontent will never bring success or happiness, as they 
contain all the elements of a *doubt of self, a self-consciousness 
of error. By an understanding of self-hood man is able to gain 
such control over his mental forces that he is able to repel or 
drive back those demoralizing mental conditions which are 
so disastrous to health and happiness, and maintaining in their 
stead those normal mental conditions which bring peace, hap¬ 
piness and comfort, combined with wealth, success and posi¬ 
tion. Every human being has these dormant powers ( mental 
forces ). All that is necessary is that they should, by knowl¬ 
edge and application, get them under such absolute control 
that they can at any time assume a defensive attitude against 
those things which wreck and ruin misguided humanity. 
Mental force, or thought-power, is one of the strongest ele¬ 
ments of nature, and when under the strict discipline of the 
will and properly directed and controlled produces a normal 
body and maintains it in a state of healthy equilibrium. 

But when this force, through fear, ignorance and ex¬ 
pectancy, becomes demoralized, disease enters the system, which 
has become highly susceptible to it, and it invites instead of 
checking and repelling. It is fear and doubt of one’s ability to 
ward it off that makes disease contagious. It is fear and 
expectancy that causes epidemics. The confident, fearless and 

*“The waste, silent solitude” found by those who “make their whole 
life desolate of faith in themselves” has, nothing uplifting about it- it 
really proceeds from “the stillness and fixedness of melancholy” of their 
own oppressed, cheerless nature. 




HEALTH AND DISEASE 


343 


strong-minded who are able to assume a positive mental atti¬ 
tude are invulnerable. The wreath of curses which encircles 
the brow of humanity today is man's belief in his own 
weakness. 

By encouraging the self-consciousness of weakness evil 
consequences are invited. The ignorant man by doubting his 
own ability, and believing in the strength and ability of others, 
assists them. He weakens himself by conceding to them that 
power which he does not claim for himself. The individual 
who is envious of the rich and who is at all times lamenting 
his own poverty, and attributes his misfortune to an inexorable 
fate, is one who makes the rich richer and the poor poorer, 
for those things which are believed to be true exercise an all 
controlling influence over conditions of life. The unfortunate 
who actually believes that he is destined to be poor and that it 
was preordained he should during his life always meet with 
reverses and misfortune, will by maintaining this condition of 
mind preclude all possibility of helping himself or being as¬ 
sisted by others; and until he changes this mental attitude of 
viewing his surroundings and harboring the belief that every¬ 
thing and everybody is against him, he will remain unfor¬ 
tunate and poverty-stricken to the same degree in which he 
indulges this belief. 

It is this lack of self-confidence and assertion, this self- 
confessed weakness and want of character which curses so many 
people with poverty* disease and distress. The most deplorable 
evil that can overshadow the life of any man, or his family, 
is his own self-condemnation. The person who encourages this 
self-confessed weakness will never succeed, for he shapes his 
own failures, invites poverty, misery and disease, makes himself 
a sorrowful creature of circumstances, the solicitor and receiver 
of evils which his own ignorance has invited and heaped upon 
his head. The unfortunate who has by his own self-confessed 
weakness become a slave to abnormal mental conditions, and 
hence a victim of disease, poverty and despair, can never re¬ 
lease himself until he learns that he is not by nature a creature 
or victim of circumstances, but that he has latent powers or 
mental forces within him which, if understood and used, will 
dispel all evil hallucination, and in its place establish an abid- 

*Read Chapter XXXVI, Lesson Thirty-four. t( The Secret of Abun¬ 
dance.” And Chapter XXXVII, Lesson Thirty-five. f( The Art of Getting 
Rich.” 



344 


THE MASTER KEY 


ing hope, self-confidence, perfect physical health, peaceful 
repose of mind and self-respect. 

Self-respect, esteem for faculties, traits, ability and gifts 
possessed should be inculcated in every mind, and this should 
become a part of man's education in the great school of life, 
and the fruits and rewards of their right use—also the terrible* 
consequence of their abuse—should be conclusively shown and• 
taught. « 

There is apparent in many persons an extreme of modesty 
or rather a lack of self-assertion entirely inconsistent with the 
normal nature of the human mind, for it contains all the ele¬ 
ments of self-condemnation and a morbid self-depreciation, 
which implies a lack of reverence toward the Almighty Creator, 
who has endowed all intelligent beings with the divine gifts of 
self-respect, esteem and whatever talents or ability they may 
have. 

Every human being should be thankful for the gifts which 
have been bestowed upon him, and for the use or the abuse of 
which he alone is responsible. 

All power and energy to create or destroy comes from the 
mind or mental forces. This force or power should at all 
times be under the control of the will, which is the executor 
of the intentions, impulses and emotions of the mind or soul. 

The will, when properly governed, produces thought force 
that builds a normal mind and body. It is this force which 
forms and shapes the destiny of man. As everything within 
the universe is subject to natural law, it becomes apparent to 
all who have been close observers of the mentality of man, 
that the power to create or destroy health, strength and happi¬ 
ness has its existence in the human mind. A man's belief or 
condition of mind is all that can control him. 

If he assumes by self-confessed weakness that he is im¬ 
potent or that his body is susceptible to disease and pain, he 
will as the result of this assumption most certainly realize it. 

If he believes that he has inherited some disease or that he 
is always to exist in poverty, his belief will bring unto him¬ 
self these things. Job, the Patriarch, exemplified this when he 
said; 

“For the thing which I greatly feared is 
come unto me, and that which I was afraid 
of is come upon me.” 

This is common sense and reason, and fully justifies every 


HEALTH AND DISEASE 


345 


intelligent man and woman in seeking a perfect comprehension 
of the principles of scientific concentration and thought control 

This knowledge is most certainly indispensable to every 
intelligent man or woman. All of their influence in and rela¬ 
tion to the world; their health, their finance, their friends and 
enemies, are the concrete expressions of their mental condi¬ 
tions. It is this knowledge which leads to power, health, 
wealth and happiness. The present is an age of transition 
from old and obscure conditions and doctrines, into better and 
more enlightened ones; an age of destruction for many of the 
old and inconsistent dogmas which have been fostered by super¬ 
stition and ignorance. Ignorance of the nature and possi¬ 
bilities of the mental forces within the physical body causes 
man to falter and waver, whereas he should always be con¬ 
fident, rising above his circumstances and conditions. “Ever 
master of the occasion.” 

“For he that wavereth is like a wave of 
the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.” 

—(James i :6.) 

The mental or life forces of man influence and affect 
everything within the range of human thought; everything 
within the horizon of intellectual effort, and from which 
emanates the theories, customs, hopes, fears, hatreds, super¬ 
stitions, vices and virtues of the human race. Most everyone 
has experienced the emotions of the heart, felt the thrills and 
ecstasies of love, the maddening fires of hatred and revenge, 
and knows how envy and desire defeat the better judgment 
and overcome the will—how weak the forces of reason are 
when passion pleads. Man should know how grand it is to 
be master of these ruling forces, and guiding passions; but he 
will remain a sport and prey to passion until he has a 
true knowledge of Concentration, Self-Control and Mental 
Discipline. 

“He that is slow to anger is better than 
the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit 
than he that taketh a city.” 

—( Prov . xvi: 32 .) 

Observation will verify the statement that it would be im¬ 
possible to enumerate the vast numbers who are suffering 
from perverted mental conditions. Pitiful victims are they, 


346 


THE MASTER KEY 


whose lives are made miserable from the effect and influence 
of their own beliefs. They believe themselves necessarily 
subject to disease, misfortune, poverty, calamity and despair, 
until these unfortunate conditions actually develop as the direct 
result of their morbid mentality. 

“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”—(Prov . 23:7.) 

“Heaviness in the heart of man maketh 
it stoop; but a good word maketh it glad.” 

— {Prov. xii:25.) 

Many of our learned men persist in encouraging these 
demoralizing and morbid mental illusions. 

Morbid apprehension, mental depression and irritability 
should be systematically antagonized by hope, confidence, faith 
in self and mental tranquillity. 


®b? fHaater 2Crg 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 

LESSON THIRTY-TWO. 

CONCENTRATION APPLIED TO FEAR AND 
DISEASE. 

EXPECTANCY AND ATTENTION. 

The physiological effect of drugs is not always accord¬ 
ing to their known, or proved, properties, but according to the 
anticipation or expectation of the patient. Every medical man 
knows from his own practice that if a patient is given a de¬ 
cided suggestion or receives an impression that a fictitious 
medicine he is about to take will act in a certain way, marvel¬ 
ously good results sometimes follow; as in the administering 
of such substitutes as bread pills or sweetened water. A 
great many people are under the impression that pills always 
act as a laxative, and if given bread or even an astringent 
in pill form an operation of the bowels will follow. 

The plan of substituting something for a narcotic mix¬ 
ture, without which a nervous patient thinks himself unable 
to sleep, is as we all know, continually resorted to, and is an 
instance of the beneficial employment of the imagination, 
and the effect of expectancy upon the mind or mental forces. 
This also well illustrates what great influence and power the 
mind has over the organs and functional duties of the body, 
causing unusual and extraordinary physiological effects and 
conditions, as illustrated in the following instance. A lady 
who, while sitting upon the upper deck of the steamer City 
of Mackinac, when crossing Lake St. Clair, became so badly 
frightened by the grating of the paddle wheel over a sunken 
crib that she gave vent to a series of screams, and begged for 
some one to save her. This was the first time in six years 
that she had uttered a word, influenza having partially paralyzed 
her vocal organs, and medical science had failed to cure her. 

347 


348 


THE MASTER KEY 


Since this occurrence, however, she has recovered her full 
powers of speech. Most every one, especially physicians, know 
of some particular instance illustrative of the effect of mind 
upon the body (which always responds and registers mental 
impressions and psychological conditions) such as the case 
of a physician, who when about to administer chloroform to 
a hysterical woman who was to be operated upon for the 
removal of two tumors, discovered that the chloroform vial 
was empty, and that the inhaling-bag was entirely free from 
odor of the anaesthetic. While waiting for the return of the 
person sent to the drug store for a new supply, he thought 
that in order to familiarize the patient with the process he would 
place the inhaling-bag over her mouth and nose. He did so, 
and instructed her to breath quietly and deeply. After taking /^ 
a number of deep inspirations she suddenly cried out, “Oh, I 
feel the effects of it already, I am going”; and a moment later 
her eyeballs turned upward, and she became completely un¬ 
conscious. As she was found to be perfectly insensible to 
pain, the physician suggested that the surgeon proceed with 
the operation. He did so, and removed one tumor without 
disturbing her in the least. 

When about to begin operations for removing the remain¬ 
ing one she partly came to. The inhaling-bag was once more 
applied with the Suggestion that she was going to sleep again, 
when the patient immediately lost consciousness and the opera¬ 
tion was performed successfully without pain or knowledge 
to the patient. This woman, it is said, had taken chloroformi 
three years before. Recollection of her previous experience, 
combined with expectation and the application of the inhaling- 
bag, were sufficient to cause her to self-induce precisely the same 
psychological condition that a liberal application of an anaesthe¬ 
tic would have produced. 

The power and effect of the imagination is wonderful, and 
there is no question but that sickness and even death itself is 
often caused by it, as is readily seen in an instance given by 
Dr . Hack Tuck . 

The victim was a Frenchman, who had been condemned 
to death for committing some crime, and his friends, wishing 
to avoid the disgrace of a public execution, consented to his 
being made the subject of an experiment. It was stated to 
the condemned man that it had been decreed that he must 
be bled to death. The executor then bandaged the victim’s 


FEAR AND DISEASE 


349 


eyes, and, after his arm had been slightly pricked, a small 
stream of warm water was made to trickle down it and drop 
into a basin, the assistants all the while keeping up a continu¬ 
ous comment on his supposed weakening condition. “See 
how pale he looks. He is getting faint , his heart is beating 
slower and slower, his pulse is almost stopped ” with numerous 
other remarks of this sort. In a short while the miserable 
man died with decided symptoms of cardiac syncope from a 
hemorrhage, without having really lost a single drop of blood, 
a victim of his own imagination. 

That decease and kindred states are induced by auto-sug¬ 
gestion (self-thought) and can likewise be induced by sugges¬ 
tions from without, there is no doubt. 

Let a man’s friends repeatedly tell him that he is looking 
\bad, and that he does not seem able to be about, that he should 
take care of himself, or he will be down sick with this or that 
. complaint, and it is almost a certainty that unless he is positive 
in his belief in himself for health, and can concentrate his 
mind against the suggestions, he will temporarily deteriorate 
in health. 

As in the case of the farmer who was given suggestions of 
this sort for a joke. After being assured by a number of 
persons that he looked bad and was not able to be around, 
really did take to his bed and went through an unmistakable 
attack of fever. Although he was in good health previous to 
the suggestions given him. This of course was a wrong and 
unwarrantable joke, yet these same effects are often produced 
by well-meaning persons, who have the habit of always com¬ 
miserating their friends and acquaintances for not looking 
well. 

“Disease can be, and often is, caused by morbid suggestions, 
either auto or spoken.” 

“Disease can be, and many times is, cured by healthful 
suggestions, either auto or spoken.” 

This is an indisputable fact known to all advanced 
psychologists, and those who have a knowledge of the nature, 
possibilities and susceptibilities of the human mind and its rela¬ 
tion to the body in both health and disease. . 

Any person who has ever given attention to the subject 
will acknowledge what immense power the mind or mental 
forces—acting in conjunction with or apart from the will— 
has over the physical body. 


350 


THE MASTER KEY 


This power of mind over matter is exercised both in health 
and disease, but is particularly evident—perhaps because it is 
more closely observed—in the latter condition. 

It is a fact well known to seamen that sufferers from sea¬ 
sickness almost invariably become quite well in moments of 
great danger, when the ship is found to be imperiled. People 
will often lose all sense of pain by their mind becoming oc¬ 
cupied with some affair of great interest. It is a well estab¬ 
lished fact that alterations of tissue, irregularities and func¬ 
tional disturbances have been the direct result of a morbid 
concentration of mind or attention to certain particular organic 
structures. Idleness is a well-known factor in producing all 
kinds of ailments, real and imaginary, of mind and body; 
perhaps because the idle man, from sheer lack of interest in 
life devotes too much attention to his own organism. Imagina¬ 
tion, combined with the “direction of morbid self-conscious¬ 
ness;” to certain organs or functions of the body will produce 
results which have been noticed by many pathologists. In 
hypochondriasis, the patent, by fixing his attention on his 
internal organs, creates not merely disordered sensations, but 
disordered and abnormal action in them. 

With some people there is liable to be irregular action of 
the heart. This is brought on and greatly increased by the 
persistence of attention, causing deviation from the normal 
condition of the functions and which frequently lapses into 
structural disease from the effect of this faculty of morbid 
attention being for a lengthened period concentrated upon this 
organ and its action. Hypochondriasis, being a mental state 
in which the patient feels and notices the action of his internal 
organs, and is always morbidly conscious of them, has a de¬ 
cided tendency to grow worse, because this morbid attention 
becomes more and more concentrated and fixed or directed 
upon functions which ought to be performed automatically 
and unconsciously, and unless some powerful mental regulator 
or mental stimulant, such as scientific concentration, is applied, 
organic disease actually sets in. 

That the dangers of these perverted or morbid mental 
conditions are brought within the range, not only of possibility, 
but of probability and of actual fact, is indisputable, as there 
are many people of both sexes who never hear of a disease 
without fancying that they have it, and by pure imagination 
develop the symptoms of serious illness. 


FEAR AND DISEASE 


351 


The illness of some prominent statesman or distinguished 
person, the progress of which is daily recorded in the papers, 
will sometimes become almost epidemic, and specialists of the 
particular disease could give some interesting information of 
the increase of imaginary and real symptoms and affections 
during the illness of such prominent person. That fear and 
expectancy is conducive to and will produce disease has been 
abundantly proved during epidemics of typhoid, smallpox, 
cholera, yellow fever and other contagious diseases. Laymen 
who dabble in medical science, and students at the beginning 
of their course, are apt to imagine that they have one or another 
of the diseases they had been studying—heart complaint being 
perhaps the most common; and of this disease many do fre¬ 
quently develop some of the subjective symptoms. 

A prominent physician’s wife, who was an eye-witness to 
an operation made upon a woman for the removal of a cancer, 
shortly afterwards complained of symptoms of cancer. Her 
husband paid slight attention to her complaints at first, but 
later the symptoms became so pronounced he called a specialist 
for diagnosis, and it was then discovered that she was actually 
suffering from a cancer whose location was precisely the same 
as that of the woman whose operation she had witnessed. 
Further investigation proved that the sight of the cancer and 
attendant operation had made such a decided impression upon 
the woman’s mind that she had never been able to drive the 
sight of it from her imagination; she being always apprehen¬ 
sive that she would become afflicted in the same manner. There 
is little doubt but that this morbid condition of mind upon her 
part did actually cause her to become infected with the same 
disease. 

If parents did but know it, many a child has had planted 
in its consciousness by concentration, the seeds of consump¬ 
tion. The thought that one’s family had been victims of the 
white scourge rises to the mind from time to time, and the 
possibility of this passing through several generations, in con¬ 
formity with the almost universal belief on the subject, is fre¬ 
quently sufficient to give a tendency to the disease. 

Hereditary disease finds its only rational explanation in 
the morbid perverted mental condition which ever shadows the 
child who is a victim of a morbid self-consciousness that it 
must necessarily, as the result of nature’s decree, inherit its 
parent’s affliction and die an unnatural and premature death. 


352 


THE MASTER KEY 


This is a nonsenical and absurd idea, furthered and fostered 
by ignorance of what that mental condition of mind, which 
nature requires to be maintained by every human being should 
be in order to promote health and strength in the physical 
body. This mental perversion invites and develops disease, 
and also greatly aggravates and prolongs disease actually 
existing. . . - 

Fear and expectancy ( perverted mental conditions ) invite 
and promote disease, while confidence and faith ( positive 
mental conditions) in one's ability to ward it off, is a defense 
against its advance, and renders one immune against the most 
contagious diseases known. It only requires a superficial 
knowledge of electricity to understand the absolute abortive¬ 
ness of the various electrical apparatus and appliances as reme¬ 
dial agencies; yet, whilst positively inert, they are undoubtedly 
the means of accomplishing much good by reason of the sug¬ 
gestive effect upon the imagination of the wearer. 

Cholera-belts, camphor-bags, and divers so-called “ preven¬ 
tives such as carrying a potato, buckeye, etc., in one's pocket, 
unquestionably act in a corresponding manner. 

Consequently, though these and similar contrivances are 
inoperative in their anticipated results, it would be a mistake to 
say they do not serve a useful purpose and are not beneficial 
to mankind. By inspiring confidence and keeping alive hope 
and faith, they often enable people to go unharmed in the midst 
of contagion, or help them to overcome disease, for there is no 
more effectual depressant, no surer harbinger of disease , than 
fear and expectancy. Much of the immunity from infection 
enjoyed by physicians and professional nurses is due partly 
to the preoccupation of their minds with professional duties, 
which leaves no room for selfish terror or fear, and partly to 
the confidence begotten by long familiarity with the sick room 
and disease. 

Expectant attention (mental conditions and processes) is a 
mighty and wonderful force. The extent of its power and 
influence upon our physical and moral nature, for health, for 
disease, for good or for evil, is beyond the comprehension of 
any person who has not been a close student of the mentality 
of man. 

This knowledge enables one to gain perception and pos¬ 
session of the great fundamental principle—“The Principle 
of Being." 


©1 ;t ilaattr SCtg 

CHAPTER XXXV. 

LESSON THIRTY-THREE. 

CONCENTRATION APPLIED DURING THE PERIOD 
OF GESTATION. 

The effect of the concentration and realization of the 
female at the time of conception, and, during the nine months 
of gestation upon the unborn child in the uterus, has escaped 
most authors of works treating on the subject of Psychology. 

The fact of impressions passing to the child before birth, 
as in the case of birth-marks, may be turned to good account 
especially if the mother has some knowledge of concentration. 
In such a case she could prepare herself by holding in her mind 
a mental image of the kind of child she would like. 

The longer such a preparation had been in operation the 
more likelihood would there be of the character of the fetus 
being affected. The question of reincarnation need not enter 
into the problem, and will not be considered here. 

What I wish to emphasize is that with concentration in¬ 
telligently applied, by the prospective mother, pre-natal culture 
is a possibility; for up to the time of birth the mother could, 
with full assurance of obtaining results, concentrate her mind 
on the nobility of feature, form and character she desired for 
her child. 

Did you ever note the scowling face of some children; it s a 
true reflection of their mothers’ mental state during pregnancy. 
It will be remembered that the Greek mothers contemplated 
statues of beautiful women or powerful men, or the gods and 
goddesses, so as to influence their unborn children, this being 
'done knowingly. There is nothing to prevent a similar prac¬ 
tice being returned to today, but with the knowledge we now 


354 


THE MASTER KEY 


have of the power of thought and intelligent concentration in 
the moulding of form no less than character the physical de¬ 
generation on which so many writers and speakers have touched 
during the last few years can be remedied very much. 

There is wonderful power in the mind when directed by 
concentration and realization. This is fully demonstrated in 
the action of the psychic or mental forces from whence there 
are impressions and wonderful effects produced by the female 
during the period of gestation. By many these effects have 
been attributed to diverse superstitions. 

The effect of concentration is evidenced, as stated above, 
in pregnant women, who stamp upon their child the image of 
things intensely desired or mark their offspring in some par¬ 
ticular manner. This image or sign imprinted by the appetite, 
faith, realization, fear, or desire of a mother, on her young, 
does certainly confirm the fact that her mental state during 
this period has a decided influence upon the child. 

For, let a woman, during the period of gestation, intensely 
desire cherries, strawberries or, any particular fruit, but touch 
her face or other part of the body with her fingers, and with¬ 
out doubt the child will be stamped in the same part of its 
body with the sign or image of the fruit desired. 

We find a most remarkable instance of concentration and 
observation in the history of Jacob. It is as follows: Jacob 
agreed with Laban that he would still guard his sheep, pro¬ 
vided that Laban would give him as a reward for his services 
all spotted lambs and goats that should in the future be added 
to his flock. 

Laban consented to this proposal, and Jacob became im¬ 
mensely rich. It is worth the trouble to insert the passage 
relating to this transaction, as an application of the mysterious 
doctrine of concentration even in animals. 

When Jacob would no longer watch over the sheep and 
desired to go away with his wives and children, Laban said unto 
him. . Genesis 30:27~43: “I pray thee, if I have found favor 
in thine eyes, tarry, for I have learned by experience that the 
Lord hath blessed me for thy sake” And he said, cc Appoint 
me thy wages, and I will give it” And he said unto him: 

“Thou knowest how I have served thee and how thy cattle 
was with me. For it was little which thou hadst before I 
came, and it is now. increased unto a multitude: and the Lord 
hath blessed thee since my coming: and, now, when shall I 


CONCENTRATION DURING GESTATION 355 


provide for mine own house also?” And he said, “What 
shall I give thee?” And Jacob said, “Thou shalt not give me 
anything. If thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed 
and keep thy flock: I will pass through all thy flock today, 
removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and 
all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and 
speckled among the goats; and of such shall be my hired' 

“So shall my righteous answer for me in time to come, 
when it shall come for my hire before thy face: every one that 
is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among 
the sheep, shall be counted stolen with me.” And Laban said, 
“Behold, I would it might be according to thy word.” And 
he removed that day the he-goats that were ring-streaked and 
speckled, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted 
and every one that had some white in it, and all the. brown 
among the sheep, and gave them into the hands of his sons. 
And he set three days’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob; 
and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.” 

“And Jacob took him rods of green poplar ,. and of the 
hazel and chestnut tree: and pilled white streaks in them, and 
made the white appear which was in the rods. 

“And he set the rods which he had pilled before the flock 
in the gutters in the watering, troughs when the flocks came to 
drink, that they should conceive when they came to drink. 

“And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought 
forth cattle ring-streaked, speckled, and spotted. And Jacob 
did separate the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward 
the ring-streaked, and all the brown in the flock of Laban; 
and he put his own flocks by themselves, and put them not unto 
Laban's cattle. And it came to pass whensoever the stronger 
cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes 
of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among 
the rods. 

“But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in; so 
the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. 

“And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, 
and maid-servants, and men-servants, and camels and asses.” 

This proves clearly that the sheep and the goats could be 
made to bring forth their young changed in color and appear¬ 
ance corresponding with the pilled rods which were placed 
before them by Jacob as they drank from the waters. 

In these days, the theory that the features of the offspring 


356 


THE MASTER KEY 


of a human mother can be affected by an object upon which the 
mother gazes, is pronounced absurd; and yet this theory, in 
the very nature of things, is as fully established as the fact 
that the mental qualities of many children differ totally from 
those of their parents. The fact that the sheep and the goats, 
upon seeing the objects which Jacob so skillfully placed before 
them, brought forth their young differing in appearance from 
themselves, has a very deep significance. Either Jacob knew 
what the result of this strategem would be from experience, or 
it was revealed to him in a dream, for we read, Genesis 31 :io: 

“And it came to pass at the time thd cattle conceived, that 
I lif ted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams 
which leaped upon the cattle were ring-streaked, speckled, and 
grizzled.” With the water which they drank, and in which at 
the same time they saw their own reflection, they transmitted 
the image of the speckled rods to their young. 

The writer has not the space here to enter into a more ex¬ 
tended reproduction of facts and evidence to further show the 
benefits to be derived from pre-natal culture. However, the 
fact that the female progenitor, both human and animal, is 
capable at the period of gestation to transmit to her offspring 
the image and likeness of surrounding objects upon which the 
mind has been concentrated has a surer foundation than is 
commonly believed to be possible. 

We are only at the beginning of the science of pre-natal 
culture, and the eugenists of the future, and those of today who 
talk so knowingly of sex-hygiene and eugenics must pay more 
attention to mental influences and mental impressions than they 
have done up to the present if they wish to gain ground. 


5typ JKaatfr SCrg 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 

LESSON THIRTY-FOUR. 

THE SECRET OF ABUNDANCE. 

THE POVERTY CURE. 

Poverty is as much a disease as pleurisy, only the former 
attacks the mind and the latter the body. You never knew 
an energetic, spirited and pushing man really poor. The poor 
in purse are almost invariably poor in mind. Of course, one 
must not include in this category people who prefer leading a 
simple existence, with no hankering after servants, motor cars, 
large establishments and a thousand-and-one et ceteras which 
characterize modern life. There are many who, with a humble 
cottage and plain fare, scarcely have any use for money, their 
wants being so few. By poverty I mean a state in which men 
can scarcely get enough to eat or cannot pay their way as 
they would like. Going a step higher, # I should include among 
those whose ambitions rise above their means—but I am not 
concerned at present with this class. My present aim is to 
stimulate those who are in want of means to sustain life com¬ 
fortably; to show them a way out; to revive that hope which 
once they had in abundance, but which contact with the world 
has well-nigh utterly obliterated. 

The cure of poverty, it must be admitted at the outset, is 
no light task, but it is curable in nearly every case. It does 
not seem to have occurred to people (except a very few) that 
no one need be poor. The saying about the poor being always 
with us seems to have been taken as an utterance that applied 
to all countries and ages, and the problem of the unemployed, 
which every civilized nation has to face, lends color to the idea. 
As a matter of fact if we take Nature we see that she is 
almost wantonly extravagant. Look at the millions of seeds 

357 


358 


THE MASTER KEY 


produced in flowers which cannot possibly grow up. Note 
the myriads of tiny cells which constitute the spawn of fish; 
mark the lavishness and prodigality with which vegetation 
covers our fair earth, and you will recognize that there is 
nothing miserly or stinting about Dame Nature. This is really 
a lesson for man, if he could but see it in the right light, and 
I, like many writers on the subjects of faith and confidence in 
one's self, have been endeavoring to the best of my powers to 
scatter broadcast during the last few. years the conception that 
no intelligent, able human being need be in dire want. 

One of the objections frequently raised by those opposed 
to a sensible socialism (not the view put forward today by 
socialists) is that there is not enough money to go round, and 
it has been affirmed that the earth could not produce sufficient 
food to maintain the inhabitants if the number grew beyond 
a certain proportion. These good people forget that not a 
tithe of the treasures of the earth have been extracted, and 
that science would have to be reckoned with where the question 
of food supply was concerned. I merely instance this objec¬ 
tion because it stands in the way of reform with many people. 

First, the well-fed moneyed class consider that the state of 
things is irremediable, and then the poor man imagines that 
conditions as we know them today are part of the natural order 
of things, and that if he were not in poverty somebody else 
would be, and that it might as well, perhaps, be himself who 
should suffer, and so he loses whatever grit he has in him, and 
he becomes what many would be inclined to call cc philosophic,” 
but which I should prefer to designate u resigned” 

I trust I have effectually removed this barrier, and now 
comes another, and important one which bars the way to 
plenty the belief that the ability to make money is only given 
to a few people who are really clever; or that there are a class 
of people who may be termed tf lucky” I think I have shown 
in this volume that there is no such thing as luck or chance. 
We .must admit that people differ mentally as well as physically, 
but it is frequently more in degree than in kind, and it is often 
the case with those who have had a defective bringing up or 
a scanty education that they are prone to exaggerate their 
weaknesses. This exaggeration acts very prejudicially, and 
is at the root of much of the poverty amongst the people. 

To cure poverty you must believe what is an absolute fact 
—that you are of use in some way; that you have something 


THE SECRET OF ABUNDANCE 


359 


in you, that the impression of your acquaintances that you are 
a very commonplace person is merely an impression caused by 
your own conduct. In turn this impression has re-acted on 
you till you begin to believe firmly where before you had only 
a suspicion. It will show in your conversation, stamp itself 
in your walk, your features, your manner all round. You ad¬ 
vertise your littleness wherever you go by your appearance, 
and servility clinches the unfavorable opinion formed of you 
by a prospective employer. 

All that is written above should be read and re-read till it 
burns into the mind as the cure of poverty has been revealed. 

To get a better opinion of yourself think. I know it is the 
most difficult task that could be set all poor folk. Had they 
learned to think they would not have been poor. They would 
rather do anything than think. Many will plead that they are 
not cut out for thinking;—they have had no education— 
Shakespeare hadn’t, but it did not prevent his becoming a 
genius. Few self-made men have had any education, and 
many men highly educated are as poor as crows. We live in 
the busiest age on record, and the hands or brain of every 
human being are urgently needed. If you went to an em¬ 
ployer of labor and told him you had an idea which would 
save his expenses by a third, or increase the efficiency of his 
business, do you suppose you would not gain his ear, if you 
approached him in the right attitude? Improvements are 
capable of being made in everything you can mention. Once 
you have learned to concentrate your mind and think you have 
solved the problem of poverty, and for this reason: You 
have opened up unsuspected avenues of thought, suggestions 
that will mean money to you in the long run. You have the 
same stuff in you as Milton, Goethe, Edison, but it never oc¬ 
curred to you, did it? It only wants rousing, bringing into 
activity. Every man is a gold mine to himself, and instead of 
letting others exploit him he should exploit himself. 

It is never too late to begin, unless you’ve turned eighty, 
and with some men this age would not be an insurmountable 
barrier. 

With a better opinion of yourself and the habit of thinking 
and controlling your thoughts so as to concentrate them you 
will begin to make plans; judgment and tact—that rare vir¬ 
tue—will show themselves; means will come to you to over¬ 
come difficulties and you will come into possession of that 


360 


THE MASTER KEY 


priceless gem— initiative . You will see the necessity of being 
thorough in whatever calling you may take up, so that an 
employer can rely upon you. Once gain the confidence of an 
employer and poverty and you will rarely meet. Make it a 
point to know your business from top to bottom; concentrate 
your mind on your duties willingly, with a light heart, for you 
are building for the future. 

Get into close touch with the very poor and you will find 
that they invariably consider that only people with marked 
ability can “get on” You can have ability just as well as any 
one else. It is not the prerogative of kings; the poorest and 
humblest man may cultivate it, but, mark well, thinking is the 
basis of it, for by it you dispel ignorance, the greatest curse 
from which mankind suffers today. Willingness to learn is 
a sign of the successful man, and as ability is gained the other 
dread ally of Poverty— Fear —(they always go together, there¬ 
fore by destroying the one you destroy both) will loosen 
its hold of your heart-strings, and hope will take up its abode. 

At this point you should take stock of yourself. You will 
now have valuable assets, and the next step is to make the 
most of them. Are you working with system? Are you util¬ 
izing your time well? Are you getting the best and highest 
out of yourself? Do not be content till you do. Whatever 
plan you may have commenced give it a fair trial. Too many 
cases of failure have arisen from giving up too soon and not 
sticking with bulldog tenacity. To the man who sets his teeth 
and vows he will go through, whatever the cost Fate, gives 
way. 

It is a well-known fact in psychology that an idea, even 
though devoid of truth, a mere delusion, if held sufficiently 
long in mind, becomes at length to be regarded as a truth. 
A knowledge of this law is of incalculable worth to you. Test 
it now if you are poor. Apply it to your own case. Banish 
for the time being the canker of care, the paralyzing effect 
of worry and doubt in yourself. Probably you have been in¬ 
dulging in the luxury of these mental visitors for days or 
weeks, so you can afford to dispense with them for ten or 
twenty minutes. I know full well the great sacrifice I am 
asking you to make, for you have an idea that by turning 
over these worries separately you are deriving a species of 
sympathy which is very comforting. You have, perhaps, 
poured your woes into the ears of friends, some willing and 


THE SECRET OF ABUNDANCE 


361 


others the reverse. You have afforded the only solace that life 
holds out, just as some people are only happy when they are 
miserable. When you are miserable the state is so infections 
that your friends avoid you when circumstances permit. 

We are all familiar with the class of persons who are al¬ 
ways finding fault and picking holes or criticising others or 
things generally, deriving immense satisfaction and comfort 
from the discomfort they cause. Probably they have seen no 
harm in this habit of supplying sympathy to themselves. As 
a matter of fact, their greatest enemy could not have inflicted 
a greater injury upon them. What practical good has it done 
them ? Has the habit solved their problem ? What it has done 
in reality is to have weakened their make-up to an incredible 
extent; it has literally poisoned the spring of Success. It has 
magnified their weakness, and their want of self-reliance. 
Every time you sympathize with a weakness you strengthen 
that weakness, and render yourself less capable. You paralyze 
sources of action, destroy initiative, prevent the inception of 
new ideas, and clog the mental machinery, the one factor which 
is to lift you out of the slough of poverty. It deepens within 
you the feeling that you are hardly dealt with, that other folk 
are helped and are “lucky,” while everything goes wrong with 
you —I know the feeling, which is better understood than ex¬ 
pressed. Get among the unemployed and they will tell you 
how by a bad trick another fellow “did them out of a job,” 
or how a chap who can’t do his work a patch as well as you 
can has been in regular work for years. Cease whining, cease 
envying. The men who have kept their places have had some 
qualifications, for there is not much room for sentiment and 
favoritism in business. The man who holds a post because 
he is “in” with the foreman, or an official, is on very insecure 
ground, for changes are frequent, and removal of the foreman 
may be followed by the dismissal of the incompetent employee. 
If he does hold his position, however, it is no affair of the 
other fellow. Every man is concerned with himself alone. It 
is his business to see that he is thoroughly efficient in whatever 
his calling may be, quick, diligent, reliable, ready to be shown 
or to learn. Such a man is certain of regular employment; he 
can employ himself, in fact, for as soon as a man has confidence 
in himself he is fit to be his own employer. 

Each time an unkind, mean, angry thought passes through 
your brain, each time you criticise others, pass judgment on 


362 


THE MASTER KEY 


them, discuss their failings with others you are nursing the 
poverty habit, and for this reason: Poverty is a condition 
of inharmony; prosperity is a condition of harmony; all 
criticism, etc., creates inharmony, and it and harmony cannot 
exist in the mind at the same time. One inevitably neutralizes 
the other; inharmony antagonizes, and the antagonism being 
destructive in its character mental force, which is only gener¬ 
ated in sufficient quantity to meet the demands made upon it 
by the body and mind, is wasted. This waste of energy might 
be turned into another channel and produce force which would 
enable problems to be solved and ideas carried to completion. 

Further than this the entertaining of such thoughts cause 
physical changes in cell tissue, manufacturing by some of those 
marvellous processes of chemistry poisons which break down 
the health, and no one who is poor can afford to dispense with 
good health. 

Men who are in poverty and rags do not trust themselves 
or they would never have been in poverty. They have placed 
their trust in other people, hoping that they would make it all 
right. If they did not, then fear rushed in, and away went 
their hope, followed in hot pursuit by self-respect. I do not 
care how low down a man may be, where he may be placed, 
however sordid, however apparently hopeless his position, he 
can remedy it; but the cure must begin by trusting in himself. 
He has the same force, the same powers at the back of his mind, 
as all of us. All that is needed is to use them, and a thing can 
only be used by bringing it into the daily life. By idealizing 
surroundings and the daily life as outlined above you are in¬ 
sensibly led away from poverty and its inevitable degrading 
surroundings. An actual “new life” is lived, and in casting 
off the influences of the old the mind takes on new aspects— 
hope and trust are born into the nature, and ambition and de¬ 
termination are not far behind. 

There will be the belief that circumstances are beginning 
to change. Poverty and doubt pulls down; hope raises. No 
one wants to engage a man soddened with the quality of mis¬ 
ery or pennilessness; it would “get on the nerves” of many 
an employer, and when the staff was reduced the man stamped 
with these qualities would be the first to go. 

A man of this type never does good work; he has no 
“heart,” therefore his work is more or less mechanical, and 
this is soon noticed. We cannot expect employers to be philan- 


THE SECRET OF ABUNDANCE 


363 


thropists. Often they are driven on by the scourge of com¬ 
petition, and cannot help themselves. A bright face is often 
quite as much a tonic to them as it is to others, and brightness 
often goes hand-in-hand with intelligence and interest in one’s 
work. A bright disposition often brings about an alert state 
of mind, frequently leading to keener observation, and inven¬ 
tions, are frequently made by workmen of this type. Bright 
intelligence also often leads to smartness of movement, dex¬ 
terity in one’s calling, and the quick eye of the employer, who 
is always surrounded by the “clock-watchers” and “stallers” 
soon detects the stuff a man is made of. When an employee 
really begins to take an interest in his work then he is on the 
right path. 

But it does not necessarily follow that a man in poverty 
need be an employee. If he will faithfully follow the instruc¬ 
tions given in this volume he may devise means by which he 
will free himself from his cramping environment. Not a 
quarter of the inventions possible have been invented, not a 
tithe of the riches in the earth has been suspected, not a 
thousandth part of the possibilities of existence has been 
touched up to the present, and all these possibilities are open 
to you! ' But you must think! When an idea comes along 
do not dismiss it as wild and improbable, but try and make it 
as clear as you would the idea of a house you would like to live 
in. When Professor Morse offered to sell his telegraph ap¬ 
paratus to the American Government in 1845 for a hundred 
thousand dollars the offer was refused. Today the Morse sys¬ 
tem is capitalized for two hundred and twenty-two million 
dollars. 

“Professor Alexander Graham Bell offered to sell his tele¬ 
phone patents to the Western Union Telegraph Co. for $60,- 
000, but the officers of the company said it was only a toy and 
had no commercial value. This same toy, according to the 
annual report of the American Telephone and Telegraph Co., 
just issued, earned $160,000,000 last year and has now more 
than 5,000,000 telephones in use throughout this country.” 

Of course, I do not imagine that you will initiate a colos¬ 
sal scheme like the first two, although any man, who is not 
a congenital idiot, may become a genius if he wish. But this 
illustrates the idea I am endeavoring to make plain—that pro¬ 
vided we are fair to ourselves and try to develop more of what 
is in us we are certain to enlarge our mind, or expand our 


364 


THE MASTER KEY 


consciousness. Many and many a man fails to improve his 
surroundings through lightly casting aside an idea which only 
needed a little more maturing, a little more hatching, to blos¬ 
som into a really good thing. 

It is not education we lack—we have too much of what 
goes under that name, and the fact that the vast majority of 
wealthy men were never conspicuous for their learning enforces 
the assertion, but a lifting or a shifting of our conception, a 
different standard of value of ourselves, and once that differ¬ 
ent attitude towards ourselves is adopted the way is compara¬ 
tively smooth. 

A hint may be gleaned from the case cited above: don’t get 
in a rut . All poverty-stricken men travel in them. 

Don’t do a thing in the way your forefathers did it, if it 
can be done in a better manner. Always be on the lookout 
for improvements, and cultivate the habit of observation. A 
Russian proverb says, “He goes through the forest and sees no 
firewood.” By the cultivation of concentration and observa¬ 
tion the wits will be sharpened, and the mind more alert, quick 
to take advantage of an opportunity, quick to apprehend, and 
the best aid to that indispensable qualification to all success— 
executive ability. 

Cut yourself off from your newspapers for a time; that is, 
unless you can discriminate. There is a large number of 
daily newspapers published in this country, Sunday papers, 
some of them, printed on cheap paper, and news to match. 
Analyze any of them and it will be seen that they consist for 
the greater part of full reports of every crime committed in 
the United States, and the bulk of the cases occurring in other 
parts of the world. The most sordid details, the most abject, 
pitiful, sickening and disgusting items are given as fully as 
the law of the land will permit. The shady, poverty-sodden 
side of humanity, with all its weaknesses, its vices, its wicked¬ 
ness, its meanness, craftiness is set forth with such a super¬ 
abundance of minuteness that not only could a criminal career 
be learned by it, but it would even induce many weak-minded 
people to emulate the men figuring in them. Revolting inci¬ 
dents from the divorce court, the hashing up of trickery and 
chicanery of the world—in a word anything and everything 
which will not only depress, but will drag the mind down, 
are to be found in the wretched specimens of the gutter-press. 
Wallowing in the filth is it any wonder that a man’s tastes 


365 


THE SECRET OF ABUNDANCE 

become debauched, that he loses an interest in good literature, 
or that he keeps his poverty chains about him ? 

Never mind being out of date with your news for a few 
weeks or months. When a crab is going to cast its shell it 
hides in a crevice where it can lie undisturbed until the new 
shell has taken the place of the old one, when it can once 
more go forth. So with a man who would cast off his old 
mind.. While the shedding process is going on let him feed 
his mind with the best food obtainable—good literature is 
plentiful and cheap enough, in all conscience. But I would 
advocate dispensing with cheap newspapers in the ordinary 
sense, or read only the best with comments on the world’s 
happenings or thoughts. The daily paper has got to be looked 
upon as a sort of necessity by some people, and it is a good 
sign when it proceeds from a keen interest in one’s country, or 
progress of mankind, but even this can stand aside for a short 
time, as can the religious press for much the same reason— 
they all tend to weaken the optimistic faculty in man. Nat¬ 
urally man is a bundle of hopes, but as one after another is 
damped by wet blankets hope begins to give up, and then in¬ 
difference, misery, and finally hopelessness sets in, from which 
the grave kindly rescues many. 

The sensational, and sentimental drama, and sickly poetry 
are two other sources which contribute to this weakening 
process. They hold before the eye with dramatic force the 
conflicting emotions which surge in the human breast, its 
passions, its foibles, as well as its noblest impulses, and while 
it may be a veritable mirror of life it is not what many would 
have. It is a fresh probing of wounds some souls would fain 
heal, an awakening of sad memories they would prefer to 
bury forever; an ever-recurring reminder of the dark side of 
existence, which they would cast from them forever. When 
we read heart-rending accounts of misery, see plays poignant 
with grief, we discuss them with friends, or, if we keep silent 
respecting them, some one will discuss them with us, so that 
we keep alive within us and sear into our very soul the pains 
from which we have struggled to free ourselves. 

In conclusion, the cure of poverty is the result of real 
growth, mental and emotional. The nature which is poor in 
love, in sympathy, in goodwill, belief in himself and his in¬ 
herent powers is poor in pocket. To stint and stunt the nature 
is to stint and stunt the money-making possibilities. If you 


366 


THE MASTER KEY 


feed on poverty thoughts there is no use for money; it could 
not be appreciated, and however much might be obtained it 
would do no good, but would dwindle away. 

Many are familiar with the old saw: “A fool and his 
money are soon partedA Most of us have known cases where 
very poor people, accustomed to live from hand to mouth, 
having come into money, have soon been in the same plight. 
The proper use of money can only come to those who have 
evolved to a point where they can use it intelligently. Money 
can never make brains in a man, but brains can make money, 
and all the wealth of the world is the result of brains. A 
lump of gold would not have any value were it not for the 
brains which first enabled it to be wrought into something— 
coin or jewel, etc. The most precious substance in the universe 
today—radium—would not have been a penny a ton a century 
ago because brains had not discovered any use for it, and the 
same thing applies to everything. Evolve yourself and you 
make yourself of use; there is a need for you; you fill a 
position which only you can fill. It may take you some time, 
but what you gain is yours for all time. The enrichment of 
character means that new layers of yourself have been 
reached, and everything brought into manifestation must ex¬ 
press itself, or, in other words, must act so that the added 
growth will open up opportunities you cannot foresee at pres¬ 
ent, and poverty will no longer affright. 

As like attracts like so the poverty mind attracts poverty; 
and so long as the mind remains of that type so long must 
poverty be expressed in the environment. A locomotive made 
to run along on steel rails does the thing for which it was 
made; it cannot fly in the air or travel on water; a clock 
fulfils its functions by indicating time, but no one would ex¬ 
pect it to record changes in the atmosphere. So with mental 
states. It is no use having ideals if the mind has not reached 
those levels where the ideals can be used. The mind that 
would have comfortable circumstances must always keep at a 
higher level, because by so doing the within thus created would 
find the without inadequate, or not corresponding, so the with¬ 
out would follow the within. Or a simpler illustration would 
be the pouring of a jelly into a mould. If the mould were 
misshapen or plain, so would be the shape of the jelly; if the 
mould were artistic or beautiful the jelly would have to pat¬ 
tern itself likewise. 


THE SECRET OF ABUNDANCE 


36? 


When you grow a mind in which sufficiency, or plenty, 
is the dominant thought, in which the notion of poverty would 
appear so grotesque, so foreign to your nature as to be un¬ 
thinkable, then you have created a mould, and the substance 
which will fill it—your circumstances or environment— must 
follow the pattern. Truth gives rise to truth; a lie breeds lies; a 
rose produces a rose, not a thistle; good thoughts cannot pro¬ 
duce bad actions; everything fulfils the law of its being; an 
effect must be like its cause. Sow thoughts of prosperity, by 
having faith in yourself, and you cannot reap anything but 
prosperity, but the thoughts must ever be of this type; to 
think now of poverty and then of prosperity zvill only yield 
indifferent results, for one neutralizes the other, as I have 
shown more than once in this book. Reflect well over this 
truth: Poverty will not pass away until you create something 
better to take its place, and every man can create this “some¬ 
thing better.” Take courage; go in and win. 

Twelve Affirmations for the Elimination of Poverty. 

The following sentences will, if repeated with understand¬ 
ing, daily, bring about the change in consciousness which will 
eradicate completely doubt and the poverty habit. 

The weakest man living has the powers of concentration 
folded within his organization; and they will remain folded 
until he learns to believe in their existence, and then tries to 
develop them. 

To prepare for the life of opulence absolutely full of the 
power that draws wealth, I must stand by the person I am. 

I must uphold my aim, by believing in myself, and never 
slacken one link of the good opinion I have formed of it. 

Also know: each outreach of thy soul bears deep the seal 
of cosmic impulse aeons. That thing heart-hungry, every fibre 
thrills to reach, hath sought thee down the ages hungering, 
too. 

You will never reach the place where you have all you 
want to spend except by commanding yourself to spend, and 
to want to spend, less than your income, whatever that may 
happen to be; for having all you want to spend is a state of 
mind, not a matter of hundreds, thousands or millions of dol¬ 
lars income. 


368 


THE MASTER KEY 


It is literally true that you are what you think, and when 
you think, therefore think abundance always. 

Every man gets just as much gold out of the world as he 
puts into it. All things are thought-made. Every man must 
think his own gold into being. 

To him who believes he can, everything is an opportunity. 

Depend only upon yourself, believe in yourself, but work 
in harmony with all things. Thus you call forth the best that 
is in yourself and secure the best that external sources have to 
give. 

“The destruction of the poor is their poverty.” The soul 
instinctively and rightly repels the idea of skimpiness. 

Like the whirlwind and the waterspout I twist my environ¬ 
ment into my form, whether it will or not. 

Success from the most material to the most transcendental 
idea combines its power into a triad: desire — expectation — 
preparation. 

“As a man believes, so is he.” Even desultory thinking is 
creative and brings results. Premeditated and orderly think¬ 
ing for a purpose matures that purpose into fixed form, so that 
you may be absolutely sure of the result of your dynamic ex¬ 
periment. 



Stiff Haste JSCjpjj 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 

LESSON THIRTY-FIVE. 

THE ART OF GETTING RICH. 
OPPORTUNITY IN A NEW LIGHT. 
REAPING AND SOWING. 

* More and more is it being recognized that there is scarcely 
a single phase of existence which is not the result of the 
immutable laws. At one time it was believed that only the 
physical kingdom was under its sway; later it was seen that 
in the moral world cause and effect —heredity as it was termed 
—was paramount. Because the working of the law cannot be 
readily observed it does not follow that it is non-existent. The 
law of gravitation has always existed, although it was thou¬ 
sands of years before it was discovered, so in the same way 
there are many laws in the universe today of which we never 
dream. Psychology in the West is too modern a science to 
permit one to dogmatize as to its limitations, but in every realm 
of inquiry experience is teaching man that what he once re¬ 
garded as chaotic is in reality an ordered sequence; that chance 
and luck are merely names invented to cover our ignorance of 
the underlying factors at work. Every thinking man and 
woman is forced to the conviction that justice rules the world; 
any other conception is impossible, yet were luck or chance 
(the absence of which does not necessarily imply the presence 
of fate ) an actual force in the universe, justice would be in¬ 
compatible with it. Think this well over before proceeding any 
further, because its acceptance admits such immense possibili¬ 
ties. A belief in it opens up a new world, and the “unlucky,” 
the downtrodden life's “failures,” the friendless, the outcast— 
all see in it undreamt of possibilities. Getting rich is as much 
under the domination of an immutable law as are the tides, 

369 


370 


THE MASTER KEY 


and in this most wonderful of all the centuries it will become 
manifest by the demonstrations of those who employ it. All 
successful men and women obey this law, though they do so 
unconsciously, for it is impossible to work outside it. 

No success is the result of chance * though people will 
point to a single incident which served to raise an individual 
from poverty to affluence. 

A man can only reap what he sows, and the stumbling 
across the opportunity has been prepared by the man himself 
previously, though he is probably unaware of it. The true 
inwardness of life can only be apprehended by the man who 
cognizes its operations upon all planes, and here and there such 
men have sprung up, shedding light upon what have hitherto 
been regarded as insoluble problems. As time goes on this 
class will increase, and more and more will the universality of 
law throughout Nature be proved. Within the last decade or 
two the science of metaphysics has been brought down to a 
practical working code for the everyday life of the man in 
the street, and every teacher of Practical Psychology and Sci¬ 
entific Concentration could show from his own experience or 
that of his fellow-students the truth of this. It is the applica¬ 
tion of this science with which many are concerned, and the 
application to the problems of daily life of a law which is 
unerring, and which places prosperity within the reach of every 
man or woman. 

In Nature there is a constant tending of things from bet¬ 
ter to best, a proceeding from simplicity to complexity, but a 
complexity which means wider scope, more adaptability. We 
name this tendency Evolution, and it must not be restricted to 
the narrow sense in which it is generally used. Nature ever 
aims at perfection, an evolving, or expounding, so that more 
life may be expressed, and however slow this process may 
seem to the impatient reformer, who expects with a single act 
of congress to abolish poverty, crime, and injustice instantly, 
it is nevertheless very sure. Man can, however, delay the 
march forward; he can fall out of the ranks for the time 
being and rejoin later, but he must sometime or other obey the 
law of his being. A man of iron constitution may treat his 
body with impunity long past the period a more delicate man 
could, but later he has to pay the penalty. 


*See, Faith In Self—Belief In Chance, Page 402. 



THE ART OF GETTING RICH 


371 


The purpose of evolution has not been recognized fully 
yet, so man has blundered along and created for himself pov¬ 
erty and vice, disease and old age, and thereby learned a much 
needed lesson—for all experience is but a lesson. He is begin¬ 
ning to wriggle out of it, and when he really desires a change 
he will get it. 

Co-operation with nature is the point to aim at, for by so 
doing he achieves his true goal. There is one fact from which 
there is no getting away: progress is eternal, and man can help 
in this progress if he wishes. 

There does not seem one epoch in the history of the world 
when the inhabitants of it were more “alive” than today. Men¬ 
tal activity and industrial activity were surely never more in¬ 
tense! Scarcely a plot of the earth’s surface remains un¬ 
mapped, and few regions that are at all hospitable but have 
been “annexed” by some government or other. We have vast 
continents in an undeveloped condition, and the wealth of the 
world continues to increase at a rapid rate. If there are more 
for the trade of the world there are more opportunities than 
ever there were. Life is far more complex; the wants of 
today have been a thousandfold increased as compared with 
those of our forefathers. As lesser evolved nations follow in 
the wake of The United States and Europe —and that they 
will is a foregone conclusion, look at Japan —more and more 
wealth will be created. 

It is outside my purpose to consider whether all this leads 
to more happiness among humanity; the point is that where 
a century ago there was one opportunity today there are a hun¬ 
dred consequent upon our more complex civilization. This 
complexity is the outcome of the forces of evolution at work, 
and rightly interpreted, like pain and disease, are important 
factors in the advancement of man’s conquest over his envi¬ 
ronment. Opportunity* is not that which comes once or twice 
in a man’s lifetime, but something which may be created at 
pleasure. This superstititon has perhaps played more havoc 
with the human race in all ages in regard to getting on in life 
than that of any other. Quite a host of proverbs foster this 
delusion, such as, “Every dog has his day.” “There is a time 
in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to 


*See Opportunity, (The First Opinion), and Opportunity, (The Second 
Opinion), Page 388. 



372 


THE MASTER KEY 


fortune” Few men can say that they have not missed oppor¬ 
tunities ; we all do frequently, and it is galling when so many 
men become despondent and lose heart when they realize that 
they have allowed a splendid chance to slip through their fin¬ 
gers, especially if, as sometimes happens, it is apparently 
through no fault of their own. 

The superstitions in which they have been cradled, which 
obsessed their parents and great-grandparents, which con¬ 
front them nearly every day of their lives among their fellows, 
thundered at them from the pulpits, emphasized in the lit¬ 
erature of all nations and times, objectivised in the columns 
of the newspaper, in the records of crime and suicides, but 
above all, in one's own daily life—it is perhaps not surprising 
that the bogey of opportunity should bear the semblance of 
reality. How many men have not fallen under the glamor of 
this gigantic illusion; when tired out with writing dozens of 
letters or tramping many weary miles and meeting with re¬ 
peated failure to secure a berth, they have exclaimed, “It’s 
just my luck”! You see, the idea is so ingrained in one's 
make-up, part of one’s nature, that it seems very real. If I 
could convince you of its emptiness these pages would not 
have been written in vain, yet I do not hesitate to assert that 
opportunity is not a thing which fate provides for man, but 
something created by man himself. The limits of space do 
not permit the proof of this assertion being shown step by 
step, but that man is master of his fate has been proved by hun¬ 
dreds if not thousands of students of <c Concentration” and 
“Faith in Self' in America, the home of the movement which 
is spreading over East and West rapidly, and destined in the 
not far distant future to revolutionize all our preconceived 
ideas of the world, man’s place in it and his destiny. This 
emancipation from the ogre of circumstances is not instanta¬ 
neous; it is a matter of growth, because it is based on law, 
outside which neither gods nor men are able to step. 

We live in a veritable age of advancement, surmounted 
as we are by the triumphs of science and industry, but we 
are merely in the kindergarten of the powers of which men 
are now learning something. Create your opportunities, but 
howf By having belief in yourself. Remember that, “to him 
that hath, faith in himself shall, be given; but him who hath 
no faith in himself, even that which he hath shall be taken 
away.” 


THE ART OF GETTING RICH 


373 


This truth, “have faith in yourself ” has been lost sight 
of except by a few, and they have not sought to force it upon 
a humanity which was not ready to receive it. Even today, 
with some, it is a matter of experiment, more or less. The 
ideas set forth here may not be fully appreciated by many, and 
for them the time has not arrived for the practical using of 
their thought-force. Even otherwise intelligent literary critics 
have shown a deplorable want of knowledge on the most ele¬ 
mentary laws of practical metaphysics; luckily for their bump¬ 
tiousness their opinions are in cold type, so that the world 
will be able later to measure their ignorance by the demon¬ 
strated powers of thought. A sign of the times is the thou¬ 
sands of students of Concentration. 

HE CAN WHO THINKS HE CAN. 

He can who thinks he can. Here is the burden of this 
Chapter, and were it expanded to a thousand pages it could 
only reiterate the fact. Now let us see if there is any connec¬ 
tion between what precedes this section. We have on the one 
hand a busy world, daily expanding, on the lookout for men 
with brains, willing to pay handsomely for them. Such 
princely salaries were unknown in by-gone days, because then 
there were not the possibilities there are today. There are 
plenty of third-rate men—the market is glutted with them, 
but on all hands it is admitted that men can not he found to 
fill the responsible positions which are waiting to be filled. 

Why is it the age of young men? Why are young fellows 
ousting men of experience in large and important business 
houses? Because the spirit of progress is in the air. New 
times demand new methods, and when men attain a certain 
age their minds like their bodies ossify, become incapable of 
admitting the wave of new ideas which is spreading over the 
world. Old age affects temperament, and does not favor the 
permeation of ideas quickly, except here and there, where a 
mind well up in age is tuned to a certain pitch to catch the 
vibrations. 

The root of the problem lies in one's mentality. Most men 
take themselves as they are.' They believe that they are lim¬ 
ited in certain directions and therefore they never attempt to 
transcend those limitations. It stands to common sense that 
if a man has not a good opinion of himself no one else will 


374 


THE MASTER KEY 


have. The world takes a man at his own valuation, and if he 
labels himself a nobody the world is scarcely to be blamed for 
believing it. A man is fettered in circumstances because he 
is fettered in mind first. 

The mental outlook determines the physical one. 

One's circumstances are always the visible result of one's 
thought. All actions are the outcome of our thoughts, there¬ 
fore our environment is self-created. 

Some men like to think they are the victims of circum¬ 
stances, as it saves them a lot of trouble; they can then remain 
quiescent, and put forth no new effort. When things go wrong, 
as they inevitably must under such circumstances, they turn 
round and say: “It's just what I expected—everything's 
against me.” 

Man has usually been hypnotized by the belief that he is 
the result of his environment—the sport of fate—what won¬ 
der when this is the attitude adopted that he cripples the aspi¬ 
rations which would lead him to better and higher things. 
Such a view of life must affect his progress, because a man 
is that which he believes he is. While this distorted view is 
held he fetters himself, because he is then incapable of formu¬ 
lating ideas which would give him financial freedom. Every¬ 
thing which enters the avenues of the senses produces impres¬ 
sions, and it is within man's power to refuse admission to any 
set of impressions. An undesirable element may crop up in his 
environment, but he may forbid its entering his mind, and so 
long as he prevents undesirable thoughts or things— both are 
much the same —from entering his consciousness he cannot be 
affected by adverse conditions. The mind cannot follow two 
trains of thought at the same time, and at the centre of the 
mind man is perfectly free to initiate or originate any thought 
he likes. It is only on the periphery , as it were, that he is at 
the mercy and impressions and thoughts of others, and so long 
as he centres his usual consciousness on this outside so long- 
must he expect to be lacking in originality, force, judgment, 
and resourcefulness, without which prosperity cannot success¬ 
fully be wooed. The periphery of the mind is made up of the 
scum of the current thought of the day of Tom, Dick and 
Harry, of the common garden man, who thanks his stars he 
is like the rest of his fellows. The owner is pleased to call it 
his mind; it is the unconscious receptacle of any thoughts of 
a similar nature. 


THE ART OF GETTING RICH 


375 


Man alone possesses the power to either accept or reject 
thoughts, and it is by virtue of this fact that we have such a 
multiplicity of objects around us. It is the presence of the 
marvellous inventions and the extraordinary advances made by 
modern science that demonstrates this unique power. Only 
one greater power can be possessed by any creature— the ability 
to create thought. The man who can initiate thought is the 
man who has the world at his feet. Analyze the conversation 
round you daily and you will never by any chance hear an 
original thought, because everyone thinks from the outside of 
his mind, not the centre. Yet that centre exists, and it is the 
receptacle of the most precious gem the world can imagine. Its 
presence is unexpected because it has never been developed. 

It has been taken for granted that a man was what Nature 
made him, that the brain he was born with could not be en¬ 
larged in its powers. Yet every day this view is demonstrated 
to be false. Dull boys have become brilliant men; lads, the 
sons of laborers, showing no marked ability even when man¬ 
hood was reached, have startled the world by their, achieve¬ 
ments in science, art, commerce or literature. Their fellow 
men have regarded them as being geniuses, as being born with 
the faculties which have made them famous. 

Many a poor farmer boy has given the true source of the 
powers displayed, and genius is only a capacity for taking 
pains; so in the same way every man may be clever in some 
direction or other if he only desires to be. Some men who 
have been absorbed in some pursuit have found that it did not 
yield the success they sought. It is possible in such cases to 
so develop their thought that ways and means will suggest 
themselves for improving to the fullest the gifts they have 
created by their own efforts. 

“He hasn't got it in him ,” is a common expression applied 
to some men, yet these same men when driven to extremities 
have risen above circumstances. 

The policy of ninety-nine men out of a hundred is to drift. 
When they have learned their calling they take no more inter¬ 
est in it, and at that point stagnation begins. A man cannot 
stand still. The order of Nature is eternal progress, and as 
man is the highest product of Nature he is a participator in 
this onward march. He can delay his evolution if he wishes, 
as already stated, but he cannot prevent it. On the other hand, 
he can hasten it immensely by understanding the laws. One 


376 


THE MASTER KEY 


expression of this eternal progress is the demand for the best. 
Even poor people want the best, whatever it be. One of the 
causes assigned for the falling off of Canadian trade with Eng¬ 
land is that the goods are not packed as tidily and nicely as 
those of American and other competitors. There is a sense of 
beauty arising in even humble quarters among people one would 
suppose to be quite indifferent. The public is more exacting 
in its demands, and what was good enough for our forefathers 
is not good enough for us. Criticism was never more rife 
among every section of the community than today; no one and 
nothing can escape it, and the quickened intelligence is spread¬ 
ing among all classes. The tendency of the age is a desire for 
more freedom, a wider life, a broader outlook. There is desire 
for more power. Discontent is evident on all hands. There 
is a dissatisfaction with things as they exist at present, and 
the world is filled with organizations to remedy evils of every 
kind. 

Enough has been said to show the existence of a factor 
which is pushing man on, and it is a law that the presence of a 
desire is evidence of the provision of means to express that 
desire. The desire to be prosperous is a perfectly legitimate 
one; those who in the old days C{ took the vow of poverty” no 
doubt accomplished the development they sought along other 
lines, but poverty under present-day conditions is a very dif¬ 
ferent thing, and there is nothing to recommend it. The glamor 
and romance which once surrounded it have disappeared. 

In a world which is, as has been said, daily increasing in 
wealth and must continue to increase, until every square yard 
of the earth that can be tilled or exploited has rendered its 
service to man, there is no necessity for poverty. No one need 
be poor, nor need anyone be governed by circumstances. Every 
man may make his own. 

The primary step to be taken is the creation of a desire 
or wish to reach some point; without this riches will not 
trouble anyone. While there is, as stated above, considerable 
discontent in the world with present conditions there is a large 
class of persons who regard contentment as the one virtue to 
be cultivated above all others. They try to believe that happi¬ 
ness and contentment are synonymous, because somebody some¬ 
where and at some time said or taught so. That is sufficient. 
They tell each other of this, and by dint of assiduously en¬ 
deavoring to believe it contentment is sanctified. 


THE ART OF GETTING RICH 


377 


In this way some of the greatest humbugs and illusions of 
the ages have acquired an odor of truth and respectability. 
Contentment is one of them. When a man is quite content he 
is on the down grade. He has ceased to grow. So long as 
growth remains in animal or plant stagnation is impossible. 
The meaning of growth is desire to express the individual or 
nature, and once that end has been attained there is a gradual 
decadence, simply because there is nothing more to express. 
Nature will not tolerate lumber, and the man who believes he 
has exhausted his powers is removed from the scene of his 
operations. He signs his own death warrant. It has fre¬ 
quently been remarked how business men who have retired 
and had no hobby have not long survived their new existence. 

The creation of a desire is not difficult, but there must be 
clearness in the desire and persistency in holding it, because if 
the desire is nebulous and spasmodic the man will not work 
understanding^, and the prosperity will be very haphazard. 
He must outlive the good he has in view, and if this is adhered 
to it will materialize. 

As mind exists for the expression of the man, so once a 
man has created by his thought an environment, that environ¬ 
ment must surround him sooner or later. No power on earth 
can keep it away from him. He may delay its consummation, 
because he will have to outwear the causes he has set going, 
but every cause must be exhausted some time. As soon as a 
man has realized in his consciousness the goal he aims at people 
and things instrumental to his success will be magnetically 
drawn to him , for like attracts like on every plane. Many 
instances of this could be cited were space sufficient. .By .the 
creation of new desires new thoughts and ideas will spring into 
being and by nursing these ideas “ways and means” will 
occur’ and the man will say, “I wonder I never thought of 
this before/’ When Edison wishes to get light on a problem 
he just sits still and thinks quietly until the knowledge comes. 
Intuition is a real force in every human being, but thanks to 
the “practical” attitude taken everywhere it has been almost 
stifled. The genius and the inventor get flashes now and then 
which illuminate them for the moment, and any man or woman 
could do the same if he or she cultivated the power. Concen¬ 
tration, as students have told me, has made them over again, 
and the individual of little intelligence need not despair, for 
the whole of the consciousness cannot manifest at once. 


378 


THE MASTER KEY 


Consciousness is like an iceberg—the portion which is 
seen, corresponding to the ordinary consciousness, is only a 
tithe of the real size of the berg, which is hidden away in the 
depths of the water. 

Many a man who has passed forty or fifty, who has not 
led an active mental life, gets it into his head that he is too old 
to pull his brains together, that it is all very well for a young 
fellow. Suppose, for instance, he decides to improve his edu¬ 
cation, and commences to take up the study of some subject. 
He is brought into touch with new terms, strange words, and 
lines of thought quite foreign to him. He finds his mind mud¬ 
dled, to use his own words, and he gives the study up, dis¬ 
gusted. He either comes to the conclusion that he is not cut 
out for study, or that he is too old to begin to learn. 

Both suppositions are wrong. Any teacher will tell him 
that it is the universal experience that when new subjects are 
taken up the mind rebels because it is against that law which 
proclaims that the path of non-resistance is always the easiest. 
Water will always select a channel before ground strewn with 
obstacles, and a man who has always done a habitual act with 
the right hand will experience great difficulty and awkward¬ 
ness if he uses the left. Every thought marks a channel in 
the brain, or effects a certain area, and when a new channel is 
to be dug there are many difficulties to surmount. 

A little patience and persistence will enable any man to take 
himself in hand, and he may take up the study of anything 
he chooses. 

Going back to what has been said, he will see that his mind 
is undisciplined, that it has “bossed” him up to now, and that 
naturally it resents being taken in hand, and compelled to go 
along a certain line. 

Once desire has been awakened the mind will cast about 
for some means to achieve the end it has in view, and provided 
it is not damped by race-thought it will mature plans which 
will inevitably bring to pass the goal sought. When it is re¬ 
membered that every one of the millions of cells of which our 
body is composed has a consciousness all its own, quite inde¬ 
pendent of that of the body—often termed by some schools 
of psychologists the “group consciousness,” and that each atom 
before it disintegrates, has the power of handing over as a 
legacy to the incoming tenant its own rate of vibration, it will 
be understood why all of us possess different natures. It will 


THE ART OF GETTING RICH 


379 


also explain why the things we would do we are unable to 
accomplish—at first. Thanks to the law of change, which per¬ 
meates every part of Nature, there is no characteristic possessed 
by any human being which cannot be absolutely transformed, 
which accounts for the startling changes seen in some people. 
Even the “eternal hills” are never a moment at rest. Particle 
by particle changes, molecule by molecule, undergoes transfor¬ 
mation, and in the interior of the earth the same changes are 
taking place. Life and motion are the same thing, so-called 
rest being but a change of motion. It is useful to remember 
these facts of exact science, because they are so pertinent to 
the matter we are dealing with at present. 

As every force acts along the line of least assistance, the 
forces of mind inevitably flow along those channels which have 
been carved by habit, and habit is but another name for race- 
thought, plus environment and education. When one applies 
common sense to Concentration —and this is its very basis— 
the miraculous elements with which it is credited assume their 
proper proportions, and any thoughtful man is bound to accept 
the main propositions of the new Psychology. New channels 
can always be made, and as the old ones are not used they dry 
up, as it were, or become obliterated in time, and thoughts 
flow just as easily along the used ones. Keeping this in view 
and the fact that the surface of the brain has always areas 
which are like blank phonographic records, the student will 
understand the need of application. 

The direction of a desire will be unconsciously guided along 
some line for which there is some taste. There is not a human 
being who has not some taste or tendency. If these appear to 
be general, and you cannot make up your mind which you 
should cultivate to the exclusion of the others, do not worry 
about the thing, but sit alone at intervals and have a good 
think with yourself. Try and cultivate a receptive attitude, 
and often you will find an idea will flash into your mind that 
will appeal to you instinctively as being worth noting. By 
dismissing it, or allowing the thought to be turned out by an 
obtruding thought is to render its reappearance less probable, 
so that you should determine that you are going to “think it 
up” for all it is worth. 

Practical reverie of this kind is a necessary factor in pros* 
perity building, for many suggestions undreamt of will occur 
spontaneously. Your brain, attuned to certain vibrations, will 


380 


THE MASTER KEY 


intercept similar vibrations, of other minds by a well-known 
law of psychology, just as telegraphic or wireless messages 
are intercepted at times. 

Having nursed your desires and found your own line, you 
will find that after all questions as to ways and means are not 
so difficult. When this stage is reached a course of reading 
of biographies of successful men should be undertaken. The 
material for this class of literature is easily accessible nowa¬ 
days, and some “points” will soon be picked up. The presence 
in nearly every case of belief in oneself will suggest to the 
reader that this is an essential—almost the first essential. 

Some writers make belief the starting point, but I have 
always doubted the wisdom of this plan, as belief is one of the 
hardest things to induce, without a motive, and desire supplies 
this. Want of belief has stood in the way of achievement in 
so many times, even in the case of earnest students that any¬ 
thing which will make it more easily obtained is worth con¬ 
sidering. Going carefully over what has been said, one will 
become increasingly familiar with the line of thought, and it 
will gradually work itself into the consciousness until it be¬ 
comes part of his very being. What has so long been wanting 
has been a reason for things, and existing systems of thought 
training have not provided this. The point which the universe 
has reached in evolution at present enables any thoughtful 
observer to apprehend the why and the wherefore in a man¬ 
ner which would be utterly incomprehensible to our fore¬ 
fathers, who could only deduce from what they saw around 
them. The wider and grander interpretation of the cosmos 
was only possible to men of the twentieth century, because the 
unfolding in the past had not proceeded at so rapid a rate as in 
this “wonderful century,” when things are accelerated in every 
direction. 

Belief being a matter which is within everyone’s power to 
increase as he will, provided he only goes about it the right 
way, the student need not lose heart, because he does not 
achieve results rapidly. Remember that it is the same with 
thought as it is with food: it is not the quantity supplied to 
the organism, but the quantity which is assimilated that counts. 
Confidence is begot in oneself by carrying out whatever policy 
one decides upon; in other words , belief is of a twofold nature 
—thought and action. It is only by doing things that one 
comes to actually believe, and ability to achieve increases with 


THE ART OF GETTING RICH 


381 


every action performed. Begin to think better of yourself, fov 
it is generally the people who have a poor opinion of themA 
selves that never get anywhere. Their belief works itself out i 
in their character, their demeanor, showing itself even in 
physical characteristics, such as the walk, position of the head, 
the carriage, the expression. Cast to the winds those enslaving 
old saws which used to console the failures of the past, and 
rob them of initiative. Knowing something of the times in 
which they were coined, they were the natural outcome of/ 
the age, the expression of the mental life. Authority 
responsible for the self-condemnation and disbelief in on£’s 
self which has spread over so many people. / 

Make a new start . Learn to trust in yourself. You may 
make mistakes at first; but the more you cultivate your intui¬ 
tions and rely upon them the greater will become your reliance 
in your own power. When a voice speaking in England or 
France can be heard in America without any visible means of 
connection it is not taxing your credulity to ask you to be¬ 
lieve that space is filled by thought vibrations of various types, 
and that one is automatically switched on to the type which is 
thinking along the same lines. The success of all experiments 
in wireless telegraphy or telephony depends upon harmony be¬ 
tween transmitter and receiver. Both being tuned to the same 
key the waves of ether carry the vibrations set up by the 
transmitter to the receiver, which is keyed to respond to those 
particular vibrations. 

Now I will split up, for purposes of illustration, the 
thought-atmosphere into layers of differing density.. The 
heavy, sluggish layers may be regarded as representing the 
thought found in the majority of the people. This layer will 
be composed of ordinary dull-as-ditchwater thought, and when 
a man is content with an uncongenial environment his thoughts 
sink down to this level. When he is inclined to be retrospective 
this murky sea of thought surges round his brain. He uncon¬ 
sciously absorbs and stores away in his mental storehouse 
masses of this destructive thought. The more he stored away 
the more frequent would be the habit of chewing the cud of 
bitter reflections, and his brain-machine would respond more 
readily to the vibrations of this lowest level of thought. This 
would produce a state of mind where he felt that he must let 
loose the accumulated mass of thought, to gain relief, and he 
would “yearn for sympathy ” To whom would he unbosom 


382 


THE MASTER KEY 


his troubles? Should he go to the successful man, the pros¬ 
perous merchant? No, because he would be unappreciative; 
he would fail to “understand,” him. The optimist would 
cheer him up, and he would feel that it was not exactly what 
he wanted at that moment. A callous man could not give him 
the aid he sought, so he would seek solace from some one who 
had experienced the same difficulties he had passed through. 
How common are such instances ? 

“Birds of a feather”—“Like attracts like” 

He who would be prosperous must avoid the unlucky, the 
unfortunate, for the sympathy they receive in this direction but 
fetters _ them more closely, as it keeps their mentality on the low 
plane it should have risen above. 

Raise the thoughts by determination not to succumb to the 
temptation of dwelling upon actual conditions. These were the 
result of previous thought, and so the future is being woven 
of the fabrics, of the present —your thought, for, as the stu¬ 
dent must again be reminded, all action is preceded by thought. 
By the initial impulse you raise your mentality to another 
higher plane, and every time you succeed in doing this you 
strengthen your thought by the accession of analogous thoughts, 
thoughts from the minds of men who have scaled the heights 
of prosperity. You catch or intercept their thought currents, 
strengthening and solidifying your own mental structure. Un¬ 
used brain areas will now be brought under contribution. Hav¬ 
ing created new permanent channels it will not be found diffi¬ 
cult to maintain them, and belief in yourself will have been 
achieved—the one great task which renders the accomplish¬ 
ment of all else comparatively simple. 

• I will now consider some additional factors in the Law of 
Prosperity , and in the forefront of these must be placed Con¬ 
centration. Every time the mind wanders off bring it back. 
Avoid abstract ideas when exercising for the acquirement of 
this faculty. Concrete examples should be taken, which the 
everyday life offers. It is infinitely easier to concentrate on 
that in which we are interested. 

Let that subject be your work, whatever it may be. Let 
your work be representative of yourself, and your best self 
at that If you are an employee concentrating on your work 
it will be more thoroughly done and you are unwittingly fitting- 
yourself for a higher position. It will insensibly lead to your 
taking a live interest in your work, and if this is done it will 


383 


THE ART OF GETTING RICH 

make you a better workman. Doing a thing because it is your 
livelihood, and doing it because you love to do it, are two 
widely different things, and he who loves his work never finds 
time hang heavily upon his hands. He rarely gets tired, and 
hence extracts a joy from his daily duties which the artificial 
pleasures of theatre or ball do not yield to their devotees. It 
follows that equability and calmness will be built into the na¬ 
ture, and, incidentally, the health will be improved; good 
health will be needed, unless one be left a fortune, and even 
then riches without it will not benefit one much. Besides, the 
doing of a thing well fits a man to undertake more responsible 
work, and if his present employment does not offer this he 
will find the opportunity later, or create it himself. 

A good memory is a necessity, and concentration is an im¬ 
portant aid. Mind-wandering, or the dissipation of mental 
energy, which is so commonly found in the unsuccessful in 
life, is more effectively corrected by concentration than by 
anything else, and one secret of concentration is interest—a 
real, living, intense, whole-hearted interest. This is a quality 
which is generally very colorless in the man who lacks riches. 
If he has any live interest it is not of a constructive type, but 
takes his mind along channels which do not accomplish any¬ 
thing. As a rule a man who is wholly absorbed in a subject 
has a good memory as regards that particular topic. 

He retains a mass of facts and figures which applied to 
another subject would make him an expert. So he who would 
acquire the Art of Getting Rich must cultivate his memory. A 
promise once made must be fulfilled, for the old-time excuse 
of a bad memory may pass occasionally, but it will not always 
be accepted. More money is lost through a bad memory than 
is supposed. Many a good order which would have led to 
larger ones has been lost through failure to call upon a cus¬ 
tomer or send him some data required. We in the West are 
always too ready to promise because we do not wish to dis¬ 
please our friends, but one should be very chary in giving one’s 
word, when there is not much probability of carrying out what 
you have pledged to do. 

Do not imagine that it is a good plan to improve a bad 
memory by relying upon it for a mass of details which it has no 
right to contain. Modern life gives us myriads of facts and 
things to remember with which our forefathers never had to 
trouble themselves, with the result that there is a far greater 


384 


THE MASTER KEY 


tax upon the power of recollecting. There is no particular 
virtue in loading up the memory with trivialities, things which 
the mind cannot use for any purpose, therefore these small 
things should be delegated to a notebook. Have no fear that 
the mind will be weakened thereby. Rather will it leave it 
the freer to attend to the really important things, for, after all, 
the really important things one does in a day’s work are few; 
the bulk of the time of many is spent in “pottering about.” 
Even the day’s work of many a so-called busy man could be 
boiled down to a couple of hours, through a want of system 
and method, and a paying of time and attention to insignifi¬ 
cant things quite out of proportion to the necessities of the 
case. With the use of a notebook commences order, system, 
the delegation of duties to their proper quarter, the saving of 
time which can well be devoted to the working out of problems 
which bear on the fact of your advancing, and the conserva¬ 
tion of mental energy which would otherwise be exhausted. A 
prominent cause of failure in modern life is the worry habit, 
and this is induced as much by a multiplicity of details as by 
anything else. The man who would solve the problem of 
riches must be of a calm temperament, but the man who wor¬ 
ries has a mind alien to this requirement. 

With the relief of the mind from little matters the mem¬ 
ory can readily be trained to respond, and to yield up what¬ 
ever is required of it. Then the full meaning of that oft- 
quoted phrase: “His word is as good as his bond” will carry 
weight with it. No man can rely upon himself alone altogether. 
Put a man in the Sahara desert and he might remain there all 
his life and never be a cent more in pocket. Put him, on the 
other hand, where there are a number of men, and it is certain 
that some one will want his help or counsel in some way. Man 
is naturally a gregarious animal, and he is a dissatisfied one, 
too. That is, he is always wanting something which he thinks 
will minister to his comfort. It is this very never-content 
attitude which evolves him, and as he may plan or theorize to 
secure more of these comforts he has to invoke the aid of his 
fellowmen in some shape. Man, being a bundle of wants, is 
the safeguard of his getting on. Through it new industries 
spring into existence every day, new luxuries or necessities, 
according to the view taken, arise, and the demand must be 
met. The man in request will be he who anticipates the wants 
or demands of his fellows. History teems with examples of 


THE ART OF GETTING RICH 


385 


men of this type, and the evocation of faculties which perfect 
the judgment will show what is wanted and how best to supply 
it. It is the man with ideas that the world wants, and what¬ 
ever he asks will be given him. 

It is a common thing to hear an unsuccessful man say: 
“If I only had scope I would not be where I am now.” As 
a matter of fact the position he was in furnished all scope 
necessary, bat he had failed to recognize or utilize it. 

When a man fails to win out in a position he has been in 
for years, the cause is not in the position, but the man. 

Experience confirms this every day. Two men will carry 
on the same kind of business in the same street, and, to all 
appearances, conditions will be equal for both. After some 
years one will have built up a good business and the other will 
be where he was, marking time, as it were, or have lost ground. 
The fault is not business being overcrowded, for one business 
is as good as another. 

When Baron Rothschild was importuned by an anxious 
mother as to which business gave the best results, he replied, 
“Selling matches is as good as any other, provided you sell 
plenty” 

It is method which tells, the way of looking at things, the 
mental attitude, in short. If a man can really believe he can 
make a business a success he will do so, but he has to be 
steeped to the ears in this belief. Once he gets on fire with 
the notion, the obstacles which meet him become very minor 
matters. The feeling that he can make the thing “go” brings 
forth all that is in him. 

Unsuspected suggestions will occur to him; for one thing 
he will clear out of the time-honored ruts which his forefathers 
always followed so assiduously. He knows that there must 
ever be wants of some kind, and there is no logical reason why 
he can not supply those wants. He is not, of course, bound 
to stay in a business or a position he does not like, but the 
fact that he finds himself where he is shows that he is not 
fit for a bigger position. Once he is ready for a more responsi¬ 
ble position he will gravitate towards it, provided he has the 
desire to; but the fault with the majority of people is that once 
having reached some point which they have always regarded as 
their objective, they have not placed a further goal in its place, 
so no further headway is made. 

The business chosen, then, is almost immaterial: the car- 


386 


THE MASTER KEY 


dinal point is the manner in which it is carried on. Many 
of the most successful businesses of the world have been created 
in the first instance by a winning personality, and where there 
is not much capital to commence with this is an invaluable as¬ 
set. The laws of attraction and repulsion, which are seen 
even as low in the scale of Evolution as minerals, reaches its 
culmination in man. The man who repels his fellowmen is 
not the man who is likely to make a big success at anything. 
Even a genius or clever inventor cannot dispense entirely with 
his fellows. Help or co-operation of some sort is necessary, 
and it is only when a vast organization has been built up that 
the personal influences may be discounted. Exclusiveness, 
aloofness, reserve have been the stumbling-block of many real¬ 
ly clever men who could have marketed their ability had they 
gone about it the right way. 

It is not always that there is no scope, but that a man may 
be in a calling he has no taste for. In such a case he can make 
the best he can of the circumstances, and when opportunity 
occurs leave it. No man can be a big success in any vocation 
which he dislikes. Everything in connection with it is done 
perfunctorily. He cannot put his heart and mind into it, 
therefore his best is lacking, and only when the best is put into 
a thing does it yield its highest results. 

If all men followed the nomadic life that is still practiced 
by some tribes in the East there would be small room for initia¬ 
tive. The wants of the tribe would be few; food, shelter and 
clothing would be sufficient. Thanks to modern civilization a 
thousand avenues are open to the man of today—art, science, 
commerce, in their innumerable combinations. Every day new 
industries spring up, new minerals or materials are discovered, 
new uses for old things spring to light, and the future will be 
still more remarkable in this respect. All this means countless 
opportunities, and the glib talk of there being no equality of 
opportunity is sheer nonsense. The man at the bottom is not 
there because he has not had any opportunities, but because he 
is not fit to be anywhere else. 

It is futile to talk of abolishing slums by legislation so long 
as slum minds exist. 

Poverty is no hindrance to riches, often it is the greatest 
aid. If you doubt this statement look at the lives of the rich 
men of the world—the multi-millionaires. How many of them 
began life with wealth, education, influential friends? 


THE ART OF GETTING RICH 


387 


The world is changing its thought; in the past, those who 
believed in The Art of Getting Rich, were among the isolated 
few, and were looked upon with suspicion by the many; in 
the present, the great majority desire to take advantage of 
“Opportunity” and most of these believe it is possible. 

This change of thought is due to the fact, that earnest men 
and women, are fast eliminating the term “impossible” from 
their vocabulary. 

Many are now convinced that life is not made for poverty 
and disease; they now believe that these are but a temporary 
creation of man gone astray. 

They do not believe that this world is a “vale of tears” nor 
that we must suffer in the present in order that we may gain 
bliss in the future. We do not gather figs from thistles, 
neither can a life of poverty and disease be the direct cause of 
a life of pleasure. It is an immutable law that like causes 
produce like effects, and many are beginning to intelligently 
use this law in shaping their life and destiny. 

The source of all riches is within. There is no more diffi¬ 
culty in becoming rich than there is in becoming clever in a 
business or profession, only some men find the secret more 
easily than others. 

Adverse circumstances never yet held down a man who 
was determined to rise. The more insuperable the difficulties 
the more powerful has the man become who has emerged from 
them. 

All the enemies a man has to contend with are of his own 
creation. One by one he can vanquish them if he will. 

What man has done man can do. 

What is the one desideratum in the acquirement of wealth? 
Talent ? Not exactly. Some very talented men have been very 
poor. Education? No, there are plenty of educated men mis¬ 
erably poor. 

Trust in ourselves must come first. After that all is sec¬ 
ondary. This is the common asset of every wealthy man. 
Luck, fate, chance, opportunity have no claim to consideration. 
All men and women, with very few exceptions, are hypnotized 
by them. Opportunity, surely, you may say, plays some part? 

Contrast the two following opinions respecting “oppor¬ 
tunity” on the next page. The opinion expressed in the first 
you are probably familiar with, but the opinion expressed in 
the second is not so well known: 


388 


THE MASTER KEY 


OPPORTUNITY. 

The First Opinion. 

Master of human destinies am I, 

Fame, love, and fortune on my footsteps wait. 
Cities and fields I walk: I penetrate 
Deserts and seas remote, and passing by 
Hovel, and mart, and palace—soon or late 
I knock unbidden once at every gate. 

If sleeping, wake—if feasting, rise before 
I turn away. It is the hour of fate, 

And they who follow me reach every state 
Mortals desire, and conquer every foe 
Save death: but those who doubt or hesitate, 
Condemned to failure, penury, and woe; 

Seek me in vain and uselessly implore— 

I answer not, and I return no more . 

OPPORTUNITY. 

The Second Opinion. 

They do me wrong who say I come no more 
When once I knock and fail to find you in; 

For every day I stand outside your door, 

And bid you wake, and rise to fight and win. 

Wail not for precious chances passed away, 

Weep not for golden ages on the wane; 

Each night I burn the records of the day, 

At sunrise every soul is born again. 

Dost thou behold thy lost youth all aghast ? 

Dost reel from righteous retribution’s blow? 

Then turn from blotted achives of the past, 

And find the future’s pages white as snow. 

Art thou a mourner ? Rouse thee from thy spell; 

Art thou a sinner ? Sins may be forgiven; 

Each morning gives thee wings to flee from hell, 

Each night a star to guide thy feet to heaven! 

Laugh like a boy at splendors that have sped, 

To vanished joys be blind and deaf and dumb; 

My judgments seal the dead past with its dead , 

But never bind a moment yet to come. 

Though deep in mire, wring not your hands and weep 
I lend my arm to all who say: “I can A 

No shamefaced outcast ever sank so deep 
But yet might rise and be again a man. 


THE ART OF GETTING RICH 


389 


In the first opinion opportunity is shown as coming, or 
knocking but once at every mortal’s door, and if you follow 
it you will reach every state mortals desire, save death; but 
if you hesitate you are condemned to failure, penury and 
woe. You seek opportunity in vain; it answers not, and re¬ 
turns no more if you fail to take advantage of it. 

In the second opinion it is shown that opportunity stands 
outside and knocks every day at man’s door, and bids him 
wake and rise up to fight and win. Opportunity is also shown 
as lending its arm to all who say, “I can” and that you can 
rise again and be a man. 

Needless to say that the writer believes literally in the opin¬ 
ion of opportunity, as set forth in the second opinion, and that 
those who have faith and confidence in themselves take advan¬ 
tage of opportunity whenever it comes. 

Sincere, honest desire is the star that leads one to oppor¬ 
tunities; while “faith and belief” in one’s self enables the con¬ 
fident man or woman to take advantage of “the opportunity,” 
at any time. 

Right here, faithful student, I again ask you to read all 
of this chapter over again, for the ideas being new will re¬ 
quire some repetition before they can effectually bring you to 
take action. But you may object and say, I am only an aver¬ 
age sort of a person, I am not gifted with any special ability. 
This is because you have not “discovered” yourself. You have 
got it into your head that having grown up you are what you 
were as a child, plus the result of experience and environment. 
But you are infinitely more than this, as I have already shown. 
Your abilities are latent, like the strength that lies coiled up 
potentially in the muscles of everyone. 

It is action which brings forth the strength. So it is put¬ 
ting into practice the abilities that you will evoke from your¬ 
self that will enable you to reach the goal you have in view. 
Ability is undeniably required in building up a fortune, but this 
ability may be cultivated. You were perhaps put into some 
business because either your father was in it before you, or you 
thought you would like it. At twenty or thirty one does not 
always know what one likes; sometimes one does not discover 
one’s life-work till forty and after that age—and then one 
thinks that as one is doing that kind of work it would be bet¬ 
ter perhaps to go on doing it for all time. How is it possible 
to find out what is in one, when that attitude is taken? “The 


390 


THE MASTER KEY 


Great Within” has never been suspected except in the case of 
our great men, yet in this is a literal and figurative gold mine 
for every human being. Millions pass through life never sus¬ 
pecting that as one of the wise books of the East says: 

fC Within thyself must deliverance he sought.” 

Hero-worship Diminishes Heroes; every man is poten¬ 
tially a hero, or a great man, in some direction or other, but 
it usually requires a crisis to make the fact patent. No sane 
man dare place a limit on man’s powers, for, as a matter of 
exact science, no limit has ever been found. 

The oldest, and, at the same time, newest of sciences— 
psychology—has never had a fair trial. Its consideration has 
always been a purely academic one, never dreaming that it had 
another side, and that it was one of the most practical and 
matter-of-fact sciences of which we had any conceptions. 

By trusting in yourself you provide those conditions which 
will reveal and bring forth your ability. No two human minds 
are the same, and if you regard yourself as commonplace your 
mind has taken you at your own estimate until all you think 
and do is commonplace, lacking resource, initiative, originality. 
The habit of trusting in yourself, of believing you are capable 
of much more will enable the mind within to give you new 
light on problems around you, and that indefinite thing— 
ability; will grow day by day. 

It may sound strange to learn that man has power to cre¬ 
ate any circumstances he desires, but it is nevertheless a fact, 
and is being demonstrated constantly by students who have 
taken up practical metaphysics. Generally the fault is that a 
man does not know what he really does desire. This week or 
year it is this thing, next year it is something else, hence he 
rarely realizes his * ideals. The man who would be wealthy 
must let this thought dominate his whole being. He must sat¬ 
isfy himself that he really does know what he desires. 

Too many people entertain a vague feeling that they would 
like this, that, or the other: this attitude must be altered. 

They must examine themselves carefully and find out what 
they actually do want first. It would be foolish to say: <( I 
should like to be rich ” without having something to be rich 
for. If a Hottentot were given a cheque for one hundred thou¬ 
sand dollars it would not raise him in the slightest; if it were 
given to many a civilized man it would spell physical and moral 


391 


THE ART OF GETTING RICH 

ruin. No, a man who would be rich must have evolved suffi¬ 
ciently in order to have a use for those riches. If he has no 
leanings to culture, to travel, to surround himself with the 
beautiful, to express outwardly what marks his growth in¬ 
wardly, or no - wish to benefit those of his fellow-creatures 
who have not reached the same point he has, then the pursuit 
would be abortive and unmoral, for all men are brothers; all 
have a common origin, and whatever raises one without in 
some measure raising his fellows re-acts prejudicially. The 
unrest of the modern world is struggling to voice this fact. 

The smarting sense of injustice to one section of the com¬ 
munity through its inability to protect itself from the rapacity 
of another section becomes daily more articulate, more pro¬ 
nounced. 

Examine your motives with the keenest scrutiny, and once 
convinced of their honesty take the plunge. Begin to develop 
yourself systematically. Cultivate an unconquerable ambition, 
an indomitable doggedness that you will accomplish the end 
in view. The desire must be one that is not to be swept away 
with the first obstacle that presents itself. The word “impos¬ 
sible” must be erased from the tablets of your mind. Your 
goal must stand out as clearly as the outlines of a city behind 
which the pale moon is rising, silhouetted against the heavens. 
Blurred ideals, ideals lost in a diffusive mistiness never material¬ 
ize because of their want of cohesion, of definiteness, of per¬ 
sistency. 

The Law of Wealth. 

How will the riches come, you may ask? Never mind 
for the moment. You have made up your mind that you are 
going to climb the path to prosperity: leaving the working out 
to your interior forces. As has just been said there are innu¬ 
merable walks in life which the one-sided, narrow existence of 
our forefathers rarely dreamt of. It may be through inven¬ 
tion, through the employment of a gift which has long lain in 
the recesses of the mind unsuspected, through what you may 
call “accident” or “luck,” but, remember: whatever you create 
mentally is absolutely certain to express itself outwardly. This 
is the Law; you doubt it? Look at any man who is not well- 
to-do. Is he accustomed when considering finance to think in 
six figures? Does he not as the head of the household, often 
say: “We can't afford this; this is too dear?” Is he not ever 


392 


THE MASTER KEY 


seeking to economize along this line or that, or complaining, 
if in business, of the heavy rates, and the increasing cost of 
things, and the keenness of competition which will eventually 
drive him out of the place? 

I do not assert that every man who is not wealthy talks 
like this, but I do say that all who think poverty express pov¬ 
erty. Getting into close contact with the poor will show that 
they never hold large ideas concerning money, and usually con¬ 
sider themselves incapable of organizing and conducting large 
concerns. They depreciate themselves, and therefore never rise 
above the average in regard to money. You will rarely hear 
them speak of what they intend to do in the future. Seldom 
will they go beyond a “wish,” which usually is expressed thus: 
“I wish I could find a lot of money” Most successful men be¬ 
come so with no knowledge of the Law—it is done unconscious¬ 
ly, therefore one does not often hear of their saying before¬ 
hand what they intend being or doing. Andrew Carnegie and 
one or two other self-made men have put this on record, but I 
do not remember coming across any other instances. What I 
am seeking is the case of practical dreamers, who are naturally 
few and far between. I could cite instances of students who 
have put the Law into operation and benefited accordingly, but 
the best example which will be known to most people is the 
conception found in fiction in the character of Svengali. You 
will remember that when he was in the direst straits and could 
not pay his rent he would say: “One day I shall be rich: I shall 
have a carriage, a big fur coat, and even princes will pay me 
homage/’ He held to this ideal in spite of the squalor which 
seemed as though it would always surround him. He had an 
unquenchable faith in himself, and dreamed daily of the future 
that he planned. 

This is the system upon which one should proceed. Ignore 
present conditions utterly; live in an atmosphere of plenty, 
whatever be your actual environment. You create your future 
from the present, just as the present is the outcome of the 
past. Do not postpone, even in thought, the advent of riches. 
Act as though you were already wealthy, that you had achieved 
the goal in view, then the wish which takes foundation will 
have passed into expectancy, which is a very different attitude, 
something far beyond even hope. 

From what has been said it follows that one must practice 
constructive thinking, which is a very different thing from 




THE ART OF GETTING RICH 


393 


ordinary thought, a haphazard, happy-go-luck way of thinking. 
By constructive thinking you have a purposive plan where be¬ 
fore you had no plan whatever, where the thought was merely 
drift, whatever presented itself to the mind. "A thought re¬ 
peated has a tendency to recur more readily according as the 
mind may be at liberty, or not disciplined. Discipline is al¬ 
ways suggestive of something unpleasant, of duty, of some¬ 
thing which runs in the face of the line of least resistance. A 
strong body results from use, from exercise, and even a robust 
and physically perfect body would lose its virility, its strength, 
by not being used. The case of the mind is just the same. 
The forceful, purposive mind can only result from ordered and 
trained thinking. The conception of training thought is a nov¬ 
elty to most people, but it is just as rational as training the 
fingers to play the piano like a Paderewski; the difference be¬ 
tween the budding pianist, represented by the average man, and 
the artist, is a question of time. His skill is not a gift, the 
only gift he possessed was an unshakeable determination to 
master the task he had set himself, and an aptitude for hard 
work, and without these no man may hope to get rich. 

There are too many people who are always seeking a 
quick-get-rich method, and are doomed to disappointment, for 
Nature never gives something for nothing. There is an in¬ 
creasing number who yearn for opulence, but who never raise 
a finger to obtain it, and it cannot be too plainly said that there 
is no magic, no mysteries in the lines laid down here, merely 
a using of the materials every human being possesses. The 
world is ever looking for the new, the latest, the great things, 
and it pays handsomely for them. Evolution being a progres¬ 
sion, conditions are always undergoing modifications, and nat¬ 
ural resources are more and more taxed. The mere fact of 
the invention of the motor car has led to the use of vast capital 
for the growing of rubber; the same cause has led another 
brain to attempt the solution of an adequate supply by the in¬ 
vention of a substitute for rubber, much cheaper. Such illus¬ 
trations can be multiplied easily, and it is open to any man or 
woman to anticipate the wants of the world and provide them. 

By constructive thought the faculties of the mind which 
have long lain dormant will be roused into activity, and in 
this rousing an expansion of the normal consciousness results. 
This gives an utterly new outlook upon life. As thought be¬ 
comes constructive all the old poverty-stricken ideas will die 


394 


THE MASTER KEY 


out. Circumstances have always dictated the type of thinking. 
A man in financial difficulties, if he is of a sunny or careless 
type, may treat them lightly, or even philosophically, but from 
time to time his environment compels him to face the situation. 
This brings his mind in line with the orthodox thought, and in 
this way old thought is maintained. The habitual outlook upon 
life is kept intact; the self-made manacles are riveted the firmer 
about the victim who treads the old path, follows in the rut 
which the feet of countless millions have trodden. A standard 
is formed, and every thought is judged according to it; if it 
agree to it, well and good; it is accepted. If it deviate from 
the pattern it is thrown aside. A man rather prides himself 
on having concocted such a standard of value; it seems to him 
that it is a piece of originality; that it places him above other 
men; that he possesses judgment, discernment, tact, a discrimi¬ 
nating mind. 

He forgets that he has only taken another’s model and 
labelled it his own. If a flock of sheep were passing a given 
spot and the first one jumped over an imaginary obstacle 
each of the others would do likewise. So it is zvith men. 
Here and there a member of the community breaks away 
from the rank, and then we term him a great man. It 
has been supposed that the number of such great men were 
limited, just as geniuses are, but as a matter of fact every hu¬ 
man being is great. Every healthy mind has within untold 
possibilities, and the reason they have not evinced themselves 
is because their existence has never been suspected. For in¬ 
stance, possibly eighty persons out of every hundred who read 
these pages will smile in a superior sort of way when it is 
claimed that anybody can be rich who wishes. Why, they will 
exclaim, to amass wealth requires brains, ability, cleverness, 
and these are all wanting in the bulk of people. Quite true. 
These qualities are essential, but one is not justified in assum¬ 
ing they are the prerogative of the few. 

Read the biographies of our merchant princes, of financial 
magnates of the world—your newspapers give you such cases 
almost daily—and note that they did not stand out brilliantly 
among their fellows at school. Some were among the dens¬ 
est, the dullest of their forms. In most cases no evidence of 
their being different from the common garden man was appar¬ 
ent for some years later. They simply had not “discovered” 
themselves, they did not know the stuff they were made of. 


THE ART OF GETTING RICH 


395 


In the majority of examples they unconsciously stumbled upon 
forces which eventuated in their success. 

Today, thanks to the new science of practical metaphysics, 
man knows that he can attain the highest goal he can intelli¬ 
gently conceive, and this through the medium of constructive 
thinking. Try to grasp this assertion. Think of the count¬ 
less suicides which could be averted by such a belief, the im¬ 
mense happiness which could be brought to thousands of lives 
by its acceptance. 

The fault with most people is that they do not trust them¬ 
selves. They will seek advice from persons quite incapable of 
helping them instead of relying on their own interior powers. 

To begin this constructive thinking try and find just where 
you stand. Take stock of yourself, mentally. Analyze your 
leanings, your tastes, the bend or trend of your mind. Do 
this only when you are in a normal state of mind—not when 
worried, angry, or nervous. No doubt several trials will be 
necessary to determine your line. Possibly you. have been pur¬ 
suing the right track but the wrong method. Alter the method. 
Take a successful man and note where he differs from you: 
in most cases it is executive ability. Well, you can gain that. 
He did not know the Law, you do, and hence you can do it 
more efficiently than he. Do you know your business from 
A to Z ? Have you gone in for the latest or most up-to-date 
plant; do you pack your goods in the most approved fashion ? 
Some countries have lost millions of dollars annually from bad 
packing, Germany scoring in this instance. Have you learned 
to hustle—not bustle? Have you overhauled your staff—as¬ 
suming you have one ? Are they reliable, capable ? Have you 
all the details of the business at your finger ends ? Do you per¬ 
sonally supervise it or leave it to a third-rate man? Are you 
polite to customers? Do you organize a (C trouble department” 
placing a tactful man in charge who investigates all complaints, 
legitimate or otherwise, and settles the matter with the dissat¬ 
isfied ones ? These questions could be indefinitely increased— 
many will suggest themselves to you once you put your think¬ 
ing cap on. It is then that you can determine if you are cut 
out for the calling you are now in, or if you could do better in 
some other line. Let your natural inclination have a hand in 
the debate with yourself, and you are not likely to get far 
out. 

If you should find on going carefully into the matter that 


396 


THE MASTER KEY 


you would have more scope in something which was more 
congenial remember it is never too late to change. Many of 
the most successful men in the business world today have fol¬ 
lowed callings very different from those to which they were 
brought up. Of course, one would not go to the other ex¬ 
treme, and attempt half-a-dozen lines at the same time. This 
has been a potent cause of failure, because the energies become 
scattered. Ideas which would bring to perfection the line on 
which a man chiefly depends are never realized, because before 
they are fully hatched they are tucked away in the mind to 
make way for some other problem which presses for solution 
at the moment, and afterwards the half-evolved idea either 
becomes forgotten, or the mind refuses to supply the missing 
threads which would make it perfect. 

The importance of taking a real, live interest in one’s work, 
whatever it be, has already been emphasized, and looked at in 
conjunction with the above it will be seen more clearly how 
success can be won. 

Receptivity is not a frame of mind the average mortal culti¬ 
vates; especially if he be a business man. He will tell you he 
has something better to do with his spare moments; that he 
barely has time to get through his work. Yet the cultivation 
of receptivity is an absolute necessity. It will be by freeing 
the mind of all worries, all plans, endeavoring to make it a 
blank for the time being that the most illuminative thoughts 
will strike—a literal, not merely a figurative expression—the 
mind. Where this frame of mind cannot be attained it will 
be found a good method to desire on retiring for the night 
that the answer to some question which demands attention 
should occur to you the next morning. Nearly always the 
subjective side of the mind, or the subconsciousness, will sup¬ 
ply the information desired, and with a little more practice 
receptivity, which it must be remembered is the reverse of 
thinking, will be acquired. Then it is that you will find out 
whether you are on the right track in regard to your occupa¬ 
tion. 

Receptivity permits the entrance of thoughts which have 
long been struggling to express themselves in the ordinary 
consciousness. Dickens and other writers have put it on rec¬ 
ord how their characters , conversations , incidents, and ideas 
concerning their books leaped to their minds when in this mood 
—whence they could not tell, but modern psychology has, ex- 


THE ART OF GETTING RICH 


397 


perimentally, demonstrated the source, analyzed the mechan¬ 
ism of the mind, and now can not only direct many of the oper¬ 
ations, but can absolutely create any state of mind desired. 

Run straight. When you indulge in sharp practices iOis 
not the other fellow on whom you inflict the wrong, but your-\ 
self. It is the law that two thoughts of an utterly diverse na- \ 
ture can not occupy the consciousness at the same time. So 
long as you harbor a thought unworthy of an honest man you 
polarize your power of attracting, whether it be friends or 
money. You can cheat others; yourself, never, and he who 
essays to do so will sink back to the level of the crowd. Riches 
may, and often are, attained by unworthy means, but the man 
is the poorer, for the Law is absolutely just. There is no 
room in the universe for luck, for its existence predicates ab¬ 
sence of law, to say nothing of injustice, and law is universal. 

A man who knows his inner forces, who expands his conscious¬ 
ness, who gains riches because as a part of the whole he is 
entitled to them, is oblivious to competition. He takes from 
the great storehouse of Nature, and no one is the poorer, rather 
by his efforts are others helped. To take advantage of a fellow 
creature, to grind and wring the uttermost farthing from a 
human being is to foul one’s higher nature. For every cause 
there must be an effect, and like causes produce like effects, 
whatever be the plan, physical or moral. 

One cannot handle pitch without being defiled, and ever 
to doubt the honesty of others is to weaken your own honesty. 
This is one reason why in this suspicious, critical age there is 
such a dearth of real happiness. To feel mean, angry, suspi¬ 
cious, is to invite those very qualities into your own being, to 
take their lodgment there and to undermine the character, and 
the man without character can never be truly rich. 

There are plenty of cases of miserable wealthy people who 
would envy the happiness of poor men, so far as money is con¬ 
cerned. 

Every human being is his own nemesis, from whom there 
is no escape, and it is about time this law were known and 
much unnecessary misery saved thereby. 

It is as well to know something of the law, so that the 
weak-kneed may think twice before going astray. 

Many people are in indifferent circumstances because they 
have never supposed they would ever be otherwise. They have 
expected it to be natural that some folk—the favored few— 


398 


THE MASTER KEY 


should be wealthy, and others—the masses, with whom they 
identify themselves, should be poor. Hence they have not 
looked into their own natures to bring to the surface all the 
riches lying there. 

Character is only another name for a set of ideas which 
have become crystallized, therefore we see people who are col¬ 
orless because the life-thought which should be pulsing through 
their being can not flow on account of the condition of the 
channels, which have never been kept open since childhood. 
In childhood one’s fancy is elastic, and one thing can be be¬ 
lieved as easily as another. Romance and imagination die 
away with the years of maturity, and in place of the spon¬ 
taneity of youth there grow sets of ideas, the product of the 
senses, the result of ready-made thoughts. Opulence, luxury, 
freedom from care, abounding health, get to be looked upon 
as the prerogatives of specially-selected individuals. Living 
among commonplace people tends to set the stamp of common¬ 
placeness upon one, and the way in which this spreads is seen 
(in one direction) by the slovenliness of speech which is so 
conspicuous, and the equal slovenliness of newspaper English. 
There has always existed a dead level, though each generation 
raises it higher, and the active propagation of one-eyed ideas, 
which are driven into the minds of the people by a power 
which the past knew not—the “hardtimes” advocate—is more 
thorough than it used to be. 

The low standard of the marriage state is another sign of 
the times, and the passing of chivalry and romance, which is 
everywhere apparent, is a still further outcome of them. The 
connection between all this and Art of Getting Rich is the de¬ 
cadence or the failure to use the idealizing faculties which cuts 
one off from an important source of wealth because one cannot 
readily differentiate oneself from one’s environment. 

It can be done, however, only the task may require more 
effort on the part of the man. The mental stagnation which 
strangles all clear thinking effectually shuts out ideas which 
would be money-making, and hides man’s true greatness from 
him. The antidote is clear; another set of ideas must be sub¬ 
stituted, and here romance may be reinstated. Practical dream¬ 
ing is as good a term to employ as any. Build air-castles to 
your heart’s content, but unlike the mere dreamer do not regard 
your creations as mere dreams. The more frequently you go 
over the picture the more clearly will the details stand out. 


399 


THE ART OF GETTING RICH 

Where gaps were seen in the early attempts suggestions for 
filling them will occur; until at length the entire structure will 
stand out in the mind’s eye boldly and perfectly. 

The bringing down of theory to practice will simply be a 
matter of time, for the power which has brought into exist¬ 
ence the abstract creation has merely to be extended to the 
concrete one now. 

One immense step will have been achieved by castle-build¬ 
ing. You will know what to aim at. Leaving out of considera¬ 
tion the masses oi the cities there are millions of human beings 
who drift all their lives. 

Want of purpose, want of objective, indifference, are the 
chief characteristics of this class, who will do anything but 
think. Tenacity of purpose, earnestness, bulldog determina¬ 
tion, patient persistence never characterize these people. 

As has been said, there is no magic about the method here 
presented; it is the working out of unerring Law, so that 
the man who lives the strenuous life, full of hope, full of faith 
in his own inherent greatness, cannot fail to become rich. The 
outcome of such lines being followed is the creation of an in¬ 
exhaustible storage-battery, always charged, which can always 
be depended upon. 

. As the man progresses, as success after success results from 
his efforts he becomes filled with a certainty that all causes 
must be followed by effects. Even his mistakes—for he will 
make these for a time—will teach him lessons which before he 
failed to understand. 

That marvellous, but little understood asset of the human 
make-up, the intuition, will solve problems as they arise, if the 
right mental attitude is taken. 

This attitude is the quiet turning of the mind in upon itself, 
shutting out the without so that the voice of the within may be 
heard. Many a successful business man of today owes his suc¬ 
cess to the flashes of the ocean of consciousness behind the 
ordinary work-a-day world, and the power to let it (( come 
through” can be attained by anyone. 

All questions as to choice of calling, system, industry, 
thrift, investment, and the usual list of qualifications usually 
given to the aspirant for wealth, are in reality very minor, and 
need not be treated here. 


400 


THE MASTER KEY 


TO RECAPITULATE. 


It is now only necessary to recapitulate or cast into a con¬ 
cise form the propositions laid down in this chapter. They 
might be stated in these terms: 

First— Both the world and man are in their babyhood. 

Second— The purpose of life is to express more life. 

Third— More life can only be expressed by man's desires 
being fulfilled. 

Fourth— Every desire must inevitably materialize, unless 
neutralized by a counter-desire. 

Fifth— Science has not yet found any limits to the power 
of man. 

Sixth— The capacity for more power comes with the full¬ 
est use of present capacities. 

Seventh— The only obstacle which can prevent man from 
entering into riches or anything else he wants is doubt of 
himself. 

Burn these statements into your brain. Concentrate your 
mind upon them, whether in tram car, train, or walking, and 
fortify yourself by building up a strong inward confidence now 
and then, as opportunity offers. 

There is no need to devote hours per day; it is the per¬ 
sistency which tells, and by cutting off the supply of pessimis¬ 
tic thought as served up for your delectation in the press, pul¬ 
pit, conversation, pictures, and literature, and seclude your 
thought atmosphere for a time you will be the better for it. 

To define riches is no light matter. Tastes differ and 
opinions vary. The Vicar of Wakefield was passing rich on 
£40 ($194.80) a year, but an individual with a large establish¬ 
ment and a high social position to uphold might consider $100,- 
000 scarcely adequate. 

The writer would prefer to term that man rich who had 
sufficient to meet all his wants, which might be few or many, 
simple, or extravagant. 

More effort would be required in the case of building up 
a big fortune than a modest competency, but the same principle 
would apply in each case. 



THE ART OF GETTING RICH 


401 


The preceding pages are written in the midst of a busy life, 
and no pretence to literary style is made. The sole object in 
view the writer has kept before him has been to aid that ever- 
increasing class who, in a world of plenty, have not sufficient 
to gratify natural wants. 

As to the moral side of the question the author contends 
that it is a duty every man owes to his country to have enough 
to keep him from want. By so doing he makes one pauper 
the less, and is in a position to help his fellows, for no man 
can truly rise without raising his fellows. 

The new industries which have sprung into existence during 
the past two centuries, many initiated by single individuals, 
have found employment, some of it highly paid, to hundreds 
of thousands of people, in spite of what has been said of ma¬ 
chinery ousting men. 

Poverty has had its day as an idyllic conception. The world 
has had enough of it, and there are now other factors which 
will develop character in a much more satisfactory manner. 
Let those who still sing the praise of being poverty-stricken 
look the facts full in the face, and they will be almost bound 
to admit that in nearly every case it dwarfs the man, crippling 
his finest feelings, and stunting his higher nature. 

Poverty is a crime—a crime against the state, and it is also 
as much a disease as any physical malady, and as such is cur¬ 
able. 

The writer boldly asserts that no man or woman who ap¬ 
plies the rules for getting rich can help becoming so; and 
the teachings can only be proved by being put to the test. 

Reading is of little use. The pages must be read and re¬ 
read till they permeate one’s being. No statement has been 
made which has not been demonstrated. If the student fails 
to demonstrate the truth of the assertions it is not they which 
are at fault, but himself. He is manipulating unchanging law, 
and his inability to demonstrate it is no proof of its non¬ 
existence. 


402 


THE MASTER KEY 


FAITH IN SELF—BELIEF IN CHANCE. 

“Faith in self is the—Key to Success.” 

“Doubt of self is the—Cause of failure ” 

Belief in chance is something, but faith in self is every¬ 
thing. 

Belief in chance is sober, serious, grave, and respectable; 
belief in self is all that, and more too. 

It is not second sight, nor is it the sixth sense, but it is 
the life of all of these things. 

Faith in self gives one the keen eye, the quick ear, and the 
business spirit; it is the interpreter of all mysteries, the sur¬ 
mount er of all difficulties, the remover of all obstacles. 

It is useful in all places, and at all times; it is useful in 
meditation, for it shows a man his way in the world; it is 
useful in business, for it shows him his way through the 
world. 

Belief in chance may be power, but faith in self is skill. 

Belief in luck, and chance, may have weight, but faith in 
self is momentum; belief in chance thinks it knows what to 
do, while faith in, self knows how to do it. 

Belief in chance makes a man respectable, faith in self 
makes him respected; belief in chance is wealth, faith in self 
is ready money. 

For all practical purposes of life, faith in self carries it 
against belief in chance, one hundred to one. 

Take them upon the stage of life, and put belief in chance 
against faith in self, and belief in chance will play a tragedy 
that will scarcely survive long enough to be hissed, while 
faith in self keeps the house in a roar, night after night, with 
its successful acts. 

There is no want for dramatic talent which believes in 
chance; there is demand for dramatic talent which has faith 
in self. 

Take belief in chance, and faith in self, before the bar of 
justice, and let them shake their learned fingers at each other’s 
nose in legal rivalry. 

Belief in chance sees its way clearly, but faith in self is 
first at its journey’s end. 

Belief in chance has many a compliment from the crowd, 
but faith in self receives the fees from its clients. 


THE ART OF GETTING RICH 


403 


Belief in chance speaks loud and learnedly, faith in self 
logically and triumphantly. 

Belief in. chance makes men wonder that it gets on no 
faster, faith in self excites astonishment that it gets on so fast. 

And the great secret is that faith in self has no weight to 
carry;.it makes no false steps; it hits the right nail on the 
head; it loses no time; it takes all hints; and, by keeping its 
eye on the weather-cock, is ready to take advantage of every 
wind that blows. 

Take them on the lecture platform. 

Belief in chance has nothing worth hearing, faith in self 
is sure of an abundance of hearers; belief in chance may 
obtain a living, faith in self will make one; belief in chance 
gets a good name, faith in self a great one; belief in 
chance argues, faith in self converts; belief in chance is an 
honor to the profession, faith in self gains great honors 
from it. 

Take themt in business life. Belief in chance feels its way, 
faith in self marches promptly forward; belief in chance is 
ignored, faith in self is obeyed; belief in chance is sometimes 
honored with approbation, while faith in self is always blessed 
by preferment. 

Take them in the United States Senate. Belief in chance 
has the ear of the senators, but faith in self wins their hearts, 
and gets their votes; belief in chance is unfitted for skilled 
employment, but faith in self fitted for it. 

Faith in self has a knack of slipping into a well-paying 
position with as sweet a silence and glibness of movement as 
a billiard-ball insinuates itself into the pocket. 

Faith in self seems to know everything, without learning 
anything. 

It has served an invisible and extemporary apprenticeship; 
it wants no drilling; it never ranks in the awkward squad; it 
has no left hand, no deaf ear, no blind or lame side. 

It puts on no looks of wondrous wisdom, it has no air of 
profundity, but plays with the details of place as dexterously 
as a well-trained hand flourishes over the ivory keys of the 
piano-forte. 

Faith in self has all the air of commonplace, and all the 
force and power of genius. 


404 


THE MASTER KEY 

GENERALIZATIONS FROM OBSERVATION. 


If a man possess great talents, he need not publish them; 
they will generally publish themselves. 

The love of knowledge inspires an interest in all humanity. 

Speak after the manner of a self-confident man, if you 
would that all true men hear and give you credence. 

Our best opinions and thoughts are the strong ones . 

Selfishness and doubt are the fruits of a weak mind. 

Faith and belief, in one’s self, are the symbols of success. 

Fill thy mind with useful knowledge, and thou shalt avoid 
empty words. 

He who talks more than his share of the time always shows 
weakness and egotism. 

The disappointed efforts of mankind in every department 
of life generally originate and terminate in secret selfishness. 

Instead of enjoying life those who are destitute of self- 
confidence live a compound funeral all their days. 

Sometimes the faces of those who have suffered while liv¬ 
ing from a terrible doubt of self are, for the first time peaceful 
when they are laid in the grave. 

Often when men speak loudest their inward courage is 
weakest. 

Honesty, faith and self-reliance are the three sparkling 
gems in the crown of true manhood. 

Good ideas often take wings and fly beyond our reach, while 
bad ones cling to us like barnacles to a vessel. 

True reason ripens not in the torrid zone of passion nor 
amid the frosts of bigotry, which always congeal truth. 

The higher, nobler thought was never dishonest; therefore 
the divorced were never truly married . 

Evil becomes supreme monarch of the mind when seated 
on the throne of a selfish ambition. 

The exercise of faith in yourself for health and good com¬ 
mon sense are the best remedies known to prolong human life. 

Calm reason never seeks to prevail by unreasonable argu¬ 
ments. 

The mind of the truly good changes often; the heart never. 

A selfish man covets that which he does not need, while a 
liberal man often bestows on others that which he really needs. 

Many men unwittingly enter into copartnership with error 
and doubt to work out their own destruction. 


THE ART OF GETTING RICH 


405 


Many men talk as easily as they breathe, and with quite 
as little thought. 

Meditation in the quiet calm of nature is the poising of 
the mind’s wings for flight. 

Men fail, sicken and die, through feebleness of will. 

All the potencies of man reside in the will. 

Practicability, from a material standpoint, congeals the 
fairest blossoms of mental flowers. 

It is the small-minded, weak man who quenches the fire of 
his own success by his doubts and skepticisms. 

To avoid obsession by doubt keep the mind positive and the 
body strong. 

Obsequiousness begets friends; truth, hatred. 

Hippocrates said to his pupils: “The affliction suffered by 
the body, the Soul sees when we shut our eyes.” 

Search for good in everything, and, when found, speak of 
it at once to your friends and neighbors, that they may rejoice 
with you that it has been found. 

Sordid desires are the creatures of indulgence that enslave 
men to habits of error and wrong. 

The prevailing misery throughout the world consists in 
placing too little value upon self. 

Genuine friendship will always subordinate self-will to the 
welfare of a friend. 

If you treat a man like a brute, he is justified in behaving 
like one toward you. 

Thoughts, like many persons, are often more valued for 
their dress and surroundings than for their true character. 

Public opinion is but the mist arising from the great ocean 
of thought and anon descending, it may be, in quiet showers or 
furious storms. 

Conventional politeness is often but the chalice in which 
time-servers are accustomed to offer us the poison of hypoc¬ 
risy. 

A man who is always ready with an answer seldom gives 
the best one. 

He who is a disturber in his own affairs will not prove a 
peacemaker in those of his friends or neighbors. 

A profoundly calm, thoughtful person may be often sad, 
but never lonely. 

A true man may ignore the rules of modern society and 
the dictates of fashion, and yet not always forfeit his claim to 
good common sense. 


THE MASTER KEY 


406 


Truth lies in a straight line, following which a man may 
always stand erect in the full dignity of his manhood; but 
falsehood and error ever take a zigzag, underground course, 
pursuing which he must bend his better judgment, twist his 
higher conscience, and warp his manhood till he ceases to be 
a man. 

Self-praise, like a circle, ends where it begins. 

Many persons revolve around great centres, while others 
turn only on very small pivots. 

From every dilemma there is always more than one way 
out. 

The largest trees have always been found in uncultivated 
soil. 

Endeavor that your forethought be as unbiased and far- 
reaching as your after-thought must be. 

A thought that does not command one’s own respect and 
admiration very seldom commands that of others. 

The human will, with a silent concentration of thought, has 
the same effect on man’s (f opportunities” as the magnet's action 
upon iron. 

As iron is brought near the magnet it is at once imbued 
with a subtle principle, capable of imparting it to other iron, 
if brought within its immediate atmosphere, while it neither 
gains weight nor changes in appearance, yet we all know one 
of the most subtle potencies has entered into its substance. 

All human bodies are charged with different degrees of 
mental forces, whose strength varies with the condition and 
health of the person. 

Very much if not all nervous prostration is either over¬ 
production or lack of this fluid to sustain polarity, the loss of 
which produces imperfect health. 

We often best enjoy that which we least understand. 

A man’s character can always be read by the comparisons 
he makes. 

There are thoughts that often intrude, not as beggars, but 
as true gift-bearers. 

None can understand the true value of self-control better 
than they who appreciate its blessings. 

In youth many often woo and wed habits and errors from 
which in after-life they strive in vain to be divorced. 

When men cease to bend the knee to mammon and become 
free from great possessions, they are in a more natural state 
of being. 


THE ART OF GETTING RICH 407 

Human faculties are nature’s moulds in which ideas are 
given form. 

Imagination is the mind’s retreat, when left in silence. 

Mental growth is, step by step, like the filling of a barrel, 
drop by drop. 

The human mind is nature's keyboard, on which her har¬ 
monies and discords are sounded by the touch of, thoughts 
controlled, and, thoughts uncontrolled. 

A well cultivated mind makes always a kindly critic. 

Inordinate self-esteem makes a balloon of a man’s head; 
all the rest of him is simply the basket. 

An unstable mind is like the meteor in the midnight sky; 
it shoots through space, without orbit or direction, leaving but 
a momentary reminder of its existence. 

A considerate man’s first impression is more reliable than 
a hasty man’s deliberate judgment. 

Man wisely thinks ten times as often as he wisely acts. 

Some minds are like those auction rooms which have noth¬ 
ing but second-hand furniture to offer. 

Disappointments in life are the result of exaggerated hopes. 

Great blessings often disgust unappreciative and discon¬ 
tented minds. 

As we place rare jewels in a deep setting to enhance their 
beauty, so Nature sets man’s mind in dark surroundings, that 
it may better try his faith. 

The more egotism and treachery become dangerous to, and 
frequently undermine the cause of, freedom of all nations, the 
more does personal, material interest guide the acts and en¬ 
deavors of men. 

The man who in our era is penetrated by a higher idea and 
nobler sentiment appears to some people as a designing rogue, 
a visionary madman, or an enthusiast. 

Instead of love to man, which as a paramount duty should 
lie at the foundation of all intercourse with his fellow-man, 
mistrust has become the first condition of judgment in the 
world. 

Add to your knowledge—" faith in self." 

Nothing possesses greater magnetism than simple truth 
well spoken. 

All men should be good judges of human nature, since all 
are actors. 

Merited rebuke from an inferior has a double sting. 


408 


THE MASTER KEY 


Calm hope gives real moral courage. 

Make use of time if you value eternity. Yesterday cannot 
be recalled; tomorrow cannot be assured; today only is yours, 
which, if you procrastinate, you lose—which loss is lost for¬ 
ever . 

There is no better way known to man for securing mental 
and moral integrity than to encourage those habits, those meth¬ 
ods, and those pursuits which tend to establish truth. 

The things that appear delight us, but make the things that 
appear not, hard to believe, for the things that appear not to 
the natural eye are hard to believe. 

The fhings most apparent to men are the evil of things, 
but the good is a secret, or hid in the things that appear, for it 
hath neither form nor figure. 

Of this be quite sure. All that is rightfully yours will 
come to you in its own good time. So reads the law. “Every¬ 
thing comes to the Man who in Silence can Wait.” 

It is the bright oil of hope which makes life’s machinery 
run smoothly, and the fruit which generally gives the most 
happiness ripens on the tree of our best ideality and higher 
love. 

Many of man’s ideals of today will be realities on some 
golden tomorrow. 

Hope is the mainspring of human action; Faith seals our 
lease of immortality; Charity and Love give the passport to 
the Soul’s inmost, true, and lasting happiness. 

Among the noblest sentences uttered by the martyred Lin¬ 
coln was this: “With malice toward none and charity for all, 
I seek only the good of my countrymen.” 

Cross against corselet, Love against Hatred, 

Peace-cry for war-cry, Patience is powerful; 

He that o’ercometh hath power o’er the nations. 

Do not be carried away by anger. As it is written, “He 
that falleth on this stone shall be broken.” 

Opposition to peace is strife. 

The first act of a living babe is to wail a cry of pain; the 
first expression of a dead face is a smile . 

Does the babe unconsciously shrink from the life before 
it; and the smile foreshadow the peace following a life of 
toil? If so, life is a priceless boon, and the problem will be 
solved in eternity. 


THE ART OF GETTING RICH 


409 


He who is tolerant with the intolerant, mild with the fault¬ 
finders, free from passion among the passionate, has conquered 
himself, and can truly say he has obtained Mental Discipline. 

Truth always repays with priceless gems, the brave hearts 
who suffer for her. 

Mental enlightenment, or thought-light, is the product of 
a well balanced mind. 

The most ignorant mind has some form of thought or it 
would not be susceptible to improvement; neither would it be 
liable to defects. 

We all feel " enlightened” when we come sympathetically 
into contact with a calm superior mind, and a flow of new 
thoughts is the result. 

The process of mental culture goes on ceaselessly, with the 
sincere student, and thus his volume of thought-force im¬ 
proves, till he pass out of the sphere of doubt in self into 
that of faith in self. 

Then the element alters and becomes more homogeneous. 

Nature has no secrets from her true votaries. 

He who would become one of her true disciples must first 
plant the “tree of faith in self 9 within his own mind and cul¬ 
ture it in silence and patience. 

In time it will yield to him the true knowledge of success 
and failure. 

Thrice blessed is he who with a lamp of truth, in union 
with nature, has a natural inclination to develop his mind power 
without being driven to it by suffering and affliction. 

Each must carve out his own way through life. Man can 
make his very contradictions harmonize with his calm, quiet 
mind. Try always to get better and better control of your 
thoughts. Go up higher and higher, ever trying to advance 
mentally. 

It is far better to try and try, even if one make blunders, 
than never to have tried at all. When one is not strong enough 
to weather the gale, one must bow like a reed before it, rising 
again after the storm is past, more dignified, more grand. 

Guard your weaknesses from most men; they are often 
either unworthy of your confidence, or in their friendship are 
very apt to abuse it. 

Learn to know all, but keep thyself unknown, has been 
wisdom handed down the ages. Let your confidence and be¬ 
lief in yourself rest only on the heights of success. 


410 


THE MASTER KEY 


To struggle on against all the world is always unpleasant, 
even if you be a thousand times right. 

Do not strive to pull against the whole community where 
you live. 

In silence and calmness listen patiently and do not argue. 

You have your freedom of thought . 

Isolation is best. 

Better never to have been great than, having been so, then 
fall forever to be so no more. 

A star that sets will rise again tomorrow; a star that falls 
rises no more forever. Search diligently for truth, no matter 
what the world may say. Press on, the golden Star of Self- 
Reliance is on the heights with its dawning lights. 

On every height is found repose. 

There come, to those souls who have no faith in them¬ 
selves, times when they become heart sick and weary. 

Alas! how many men of mature years are held back by 
doubt and self-condemnation because they do not, and have 
never, understood what it means to have faith in themselves. 

The very best part of many men and women lies buried 
beneath their own fears and doubts. 

Misunderstood, their fears hold them down with chains 
forged of doubt and unrest. 

To all such a change is necessary; in fact, for the useful¬ 
ness of their life, a change is imperative. 

As the student acquires knowledge, he must learn how it 
has been acquired, and he is made to feel that no fact is worth 
knowing unless with it he knows the way to prove it. 

Earnest student, dare to be wise. In silence pursue the 
path of wisdom, regardless of the world or what it may say, 
or any obstacle which it may throw in your way. 

Be wise and you will not only govern your own destiny but 
show others the way. And you will possess a mind foreshad¬ 
owing the future. By your prudence and foresight you will 
be able to counteract that which more gross or untrained minds 
have suffered to pass as fate or destiny, whereby their faculties 
are confined to a narrow line of operation. 

I have—in The Master Key —given you the Duality of 
your being and Salient force. 

Dr. L. W. de Laurence. 


IR6D79 











































































